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THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  ILLINOIS 


LIBRARY 


ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 


IlUNOfe 

•SURVEY 


4 


/>■*  v 


“  To  make  some  work  of  God’s  creation  a  little 
fruitfuller,  better,  more  worthy  of  God;  to 
make  some  hearts  a  little  wiser,  manfuller, 
happier,  —  more  blessed,  less  accursed  !  It  is 
work  for  a  God  !  — Carlyle . 


Chicago’s 
Dark  Places 

Investigations  by  a  Corps  of 
Specially AppointedCommissioners 
Edited  and  arranged  by  the 
Chief  Commissioner. 

f,  CCftt  e  -s  ^  Sn  e  O  \1  Vo.-rt'cfn 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.: 

Thomas  J.  Morrow,  Bank  of  Commerce  Bldg. 

1891. 


I 


/ 


4 


9 


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l 

l 


COPYRIGHTED, 

1891. 


v 

4. 

>- 

f. 

1 


- 


PUBLISHERS’  PREFACE. 


& 


i 

Y o 


L? 


“Chicago’s  Dark  Places”  is  issued  at  the  request  of 
many  Christian  men  and  women,  and  with  the  profound  con- 
viction  that  it  will  do  much  good.  Its  mission  is  to  awaken 
and  enlighten  all  the  people  of  Chicago,  but  especially  those 
who  have  been,  and  still  are,  unconcerned  as  to  the  dangers 
which  surround  the  young,  and  unawakened  as  to  the  great 
moral  reforms  needed  in  the  city. 

It  is  a  book  for  men  and  women  to  carefully  and  earnestly 
consider,  and  then  act  upon.  If  the  reports  given  are  true , 
action  is  needed.  The  fact  that  we  assume  the  responsibility 
of  publishing  the  book  is  sufficient  proof  that  we  believe  its 
statements  are  true. 

The  Chief  Commissioner  was  appointed  by  us.  The  plan 
and  purpose  of  the  book  have  been,  by  him,  successfully 
carried  out  according  to  our  directions.  To  him  and  his  as¬ 
sistants  we  now  tender  our  earnest  thanks  for  the  careful  and 
thorough  manner  in  which  they  have  discharged  their  arduous 
and  unthankful  duties,  and  in  so  doing  express  the  hope  that 
their  labors  have  not  been  in  vain. 


The  Publishers. 


INDEX. 


Publishers  Preface. 

Prelude . 

Poverty  and  the  Poor. 

Chicago’s  Glories — The  Other  Side  of  the  Picture 
— The  “Why”  of -the  Book — Poverty  and  Degra¬ 
dation — The  Herald's  Investigations — Semi-Naked 
Children — Anxious  to  Work — Crowded  Like  Sar¬ 
dines — A  Bad  System — A  Wretched  Old  Man — The 
Globe's  Inquiry — The  Unemployed — An  Alluring 
Bait  —  Capital  and  Labor  —  What  is  a  “  Bum”  ?— 
Tramping  the  Streets  —  Into  the  Sink — Horrible 
Destitution — A  Cheerful  Widow — Hungry,  Help¬ 
less  and  Abused — A  Common  Case — Two  Maiden 
Souls — Husband  Killed,  Child  Born,  Two  Children 
Died,  All  in  One  Year — The  King’s  Daughters. . . . 

Saloons  and  Their  Habitues. 

Five  Thousand  Six  Hundred  Saloons  in  Chicago 
— Beer  Expenditures  in  Chicago — How  it  Might  be 
Spent  —  Products  of  the  Saloon  Business — Evils 
That  Cannot  be  Estimated — The  Saloon  Opposed 
to  Law  and  Order — Temptations  to  Children — The 
Hotbed  of  Crime — The  Beer  Riot — Un-American 
— Violators  of  the  Laws — Harborers  of  Prostitutes 
—  “Cubby  Holes” — How  the  Prostitutes  and  Sa¬ 
loons  Work  Together  —  “Ladies’  Entrances  ”  — 
Harlot  Compartments  —  Back  Alleys  —  Obscene 
Pictures — Free  Lunches — How  Froth  is  Served — 
Influence  of  Brewers — A  Vile  Den — The  Young 
Men  and  the  Saloons — Saloon-Infested  Districts — 
Political  Power — Thirty -two  Girls  Attempted  Sui¬ 
cide — Danger  to  Virtue — A  Desperate  But  Now 
Reformed  Case — Fallen  From  Her  High  Estate — 
A.  Fearful  Menu — Injury  to  Womanhood — Conse¬ 
quences  to  Future  Generations — The  Beer  Gardens 
—What  is  the  Saloon  ? . 


9 


18-29 


30-58 


vi.  Index. 


Theaters ,  Concert  Halls  and  Museums . 

Good  and  Evil  Theaters — Gilbert’s  Strong  Criti¬ 
cism — Teachers  of  Crime — Lustful  Advertisements 
— Vice  Schools — Saloons  and  Houses  of  Prostitu¬ 
tion  in  Disguise  —  A  Hellish  Place — Fearful  De¬ 
basement  —  Gorged  With  Living  Prey — Ruthless 
Thieves — Sodom  and  Gomorrah  Outdone — Clem¬ 
ent  Scott’s  Warning — Caterers  to  Morbid  Curiosity 
— Wide-Reaching  Influence  for  Evil .  54-63 

Immoral  Dives. 

Feeders  to  Worse  Places —  “The  Nude  in  Art” — 

“  Opium  Dreams  ” — A  Basement  Hell — Diabolical 
Debasement  of  Our  Boys — French  Playing  Cards — 

Racy  Packages — The  Tricks  of  These  Swindlers — 

Guides  to  Evil  Houses — Where  is  the  Law  ? .  64-63 

Obscene  Pictures ,  Books  and  Advertisements . 

The  Pompeii  Frescoes — Nude  Women’s  Pictures 
— The  Saloon  and  Obscene  Pictures — Liquor  Adver¬ 
tising — Tobacco  Pictures — Theatrical  Posters — Chi¬ 
cago’s  Vile  Books  —  Business  Ability  Fearfully 
Prostituted — How  These  Vile  Books  are  Adver¬ 
tised — Excuses  for  Sensuality  and  Prostitution — 

Sent  to  the  Penitentiary  —  Need  for  Immediate 
Suppression .  69-79 

The  Social  Evil. 

Licentiousness  the  Most  Powerful  Cause  of 
Crime — A  Gigantic  Evil — Woman’s  Side  of  the 
Question  Ignored — The  “Dual”  Standard  of  Chas¬ 
tity-Infested  With  Prostitutes — “Fallen  Men” — 

Needed  Laws — A  Hard  Case — Traps  for  Girls — 
Lecherous  Wretches  —  Mr.  Ballard’s  Offer  —  The 
Widespread  Extent  of  Lust — The  Black  Hole — 

Lying  in  W ait — The  Prostitutes’  Restaurants — 
Temptations  to  Yoimg  Men — Unchaste  Through 
Poverty— Manufactories  of  Fallen  Women — Pro¬ 
fessional  Prostitutes — Gilded  Palaces  of  Sin — Cab¬ 
man  Commissioner’s  Report  —The  Patrons  of  These 
Places — Who  are  They  ? — How  They  Entrap  In¬ 
nocent  Girls — Where  the  Patrons’  Photographs 
are  to  be  Found — Whence  Comes  the  Army  of 
Prostitutes  ? — The  Chicago  Liberal — The  Influence 
of  the  Saloon  —  A  White  Girl  in  a  Colored  House — 


Index,  vii. 

How  Fallen  Women  are  Treated  by  Some  Chris¬ 
tians  —  How  Many  Prostitutes  in  Chicago  ?  — 

Houses  That  Never  Close— Jezebel’s  Excuse — Is  it 
a  Necessary  Evil  ?— Vile  Wretches — Specious  Ad¬ 
vertisements — Corrupted  Eighteen  Young  Girls — 
Tampering  With  Little  Girls  —  Death  From  the 
Start — Worse  Than  Murder — Illegitimate  Children 
— Baby  Farms  —  Abortion  —  Damnable  Fiend  of 
Lust .  80-117 

Massage  Parlors. 

Bestial  Counterfeits  —  Advertisements  of  Har¬ 
lotry — How  These  Dens  Are  Operated — Elegant 
Rooms  —  Prostitute  Operators  —  Who  Visit  Such 
Places — How  Can  Respectable  Newspapers  Adver¬ 
tise  These  Demoralizing  Parlors?  —  How  Young 
Girls  Are  Entrapped — The  Story  of  One  Who  Es¬ 
caped — A  “Parlor”  in  the  Business  Section .  118-126 

Procuresses,  Abductors ,  Etc. 

The  Extent  of  This  Crime — Methods  Employed — 

Meeting  the  Trains — Forcibly  Detained — Cabmen 
in  League  With  Houses  of  Prostitution — Chicago 
Jezebel’s  Statement — Boldness  of  Procuresses — At 
the  Hospital — One  Victim’s  Story — How  She  Es¬ 
caped — Taken  by  Her  Betrayer — Held  in  Bonds — 

Twenty -eight  Girls  Shipped  South — Importation 
of  French  Girls — Clearing  House  in  Montreal — An¬ 
other  Form  of  Procuring — How  the  Girls  Enter 
the  Work — Couldn’t  Pass  a  Law — The  Age  of  Con¬ 
sent — A  Disgrace  to  the  Manhood  and  Woman¬ 


hood  of  Illinois  —  The  Protective  Agency  —  A 
Dreadful  Case — Horrible  Life .  127-141 


Observations  on  the  Making  of  Criminals. 

Criminals,  Born  and  Made — Heredity  of  Good  as 
Well  as  Evil — Born  for  Murder,  Theft  and  Lust — 
Criminality  of  the  Children  of  Christian  Parents — 

Wrong  Biblical  Notions — The  Evil  Advice  of  Phy¬ 
sicians — The  Effect  of  Vile  Advertisements,  Etc. — 

The  Public  School .  142-149 

The  Agencies  of  Reform. 

Relief  and  Aid  Societies — Various  Missions — For 
Fallen  Women — W.  C.  T.  U. — Salvation  Army — 

King’s  Daughters  —  Various  Associations  —  Per- 


viii.  Index. 


The  Agencies  of  Reform .  Continued . 

sonal  Visitation  at  Hospitals — Police  Matrons — 
Erring  Women’s  Refuge  —  Anchorage  Mission — 
Midnight  Mission — Bureau  of  Justice — Protective 
Agency — Can  Fallen  Women  be  Reclaimed  ? — Im¬ 
mediate  Relief  Societies — The  Public  Press . 

A  Word  to  Processing  Christians . 

The  Position  Occupied  by  Christians — Who  the 
Chapter  is  For — How  to  Show  Our  Love  to  God — 
Why  are  You  so  Favored  ? — None  of  Your  Busi¬ 
ness  !  —  Shoddy  Christianity  —  Large  Salaries  to 
Ministers — Weak  Christians — Kill  Your  Own  Sel¬ 
fishness — What  Ought  You  to  Do  ? — Ministers  and 
Dogmas — Dr.  Pressley’s  Mistaken  Words — What  is 
the  Remedy  ? . 

Suggestive  Remedies. 

Unselfish  Love  to  Help — Sterness  to  Crush — The 
Survival  of  the  Fittest — The  Theory  of  Emascula¬ 
tion — Crimes  Against  Criminals — The  Insane — In¬ 
discriminate  Giving — How  About  the  “Unworthy” 
Poor  ?  —  Lodging  Houses  —  The  Glasgow  Plan — 
Homes  For  Working  Men  —  Cooking  Depots  — 
Public  Baths — How  to  Banish  Beggary — Where 
Booth’s  Plan  Will  Fail — No  Delegation  of  Charity 
Work  —  Encouragement  to  Thrift  —  Industrial 
Schools — Rich  Men  their  own  Almoners — True  and 
Mimetic  Poverty — The  sad  plight  of  the  Rich  Man 
— The  Saloon  must  go — High  License—  Enforce 
Present  Laws  —  Close  Saloons  on  Sunday — Dis¬ 
franchise  Drunkards — No  Girls  to  sell  Beer — More 
Coffee  Houses — Water  Fountains — Public  Conve¬ 
niences — Need  of  Entertainment — Music — Singing 
Classes  —  Organ  Concerts  —  Lectures  —  People’s 
Churches — Great  Preachers  to  give  their  Services 
for  the  Poor — Public  Museums — Hold  Policemen 
Responsible  for  Immoral  Dives — Imprison  their 
Keepers — Drive  out  the  Obscene  Books — Educate 
the  Children  to  know  and  avoid  them — The  same 
Law  for  Men  and  Women — Close  up  Houses  of 
Prostitution  —  Abolish  age  of  Consent — Disfran¬ 
chise  Unchaste  Married  Men — Close  up  Massage 
Parlors — Children  to  know  the  Law  of  Sex — Mis¬ 
taken  Kindness — The  Horrible  “Physical  Neces¬ 
sity”  Doctrine — Midnight  Mission — Home  for  Shop 
Girls — Wise  Sympathy  the  only  Cure  for  Poverty, 
Degradation  and  Crime . 


150-164 


165-176 


177-213 


'•/  t 


P RE L UDE . 


“Discovered  perils  are  opportunities  and  incentives  to 
disciples  of  the  Great  Physician.” 

— Simon  J.  Me  P  her  son,  D.D. 


STANLEY  visited  the  heart  of  the  Dark  Conti¬ 
nent  and  wrote  “  In  Darkest  Africa — General 
Booth,  of  the  Salvation  Army,  explored  the 
deepest  recesses  of  poverty,  crime  and  vice  in  England 
and  wrote  “  In  Darkest  England — and  I, in  conjunction 
with  my  assistants,  have  gone  into  many  of  the  dark 
“  dens  ”  and  “  black  holes  ”  of  Chicago,  and  “  Chicago’s 
Dark  Places  ”  is  written  as  the  product  of  those  visits 
and  investigations. 

The  facts  here  presented  are  the  combined  results 
of  the  most  thorough  and  careful  scrutinizations  made 
by  all  the  commissioners  engaged  in  this  work,  but  are 
so  arranged  and  connected  as  to  simplify  them  for  the 
reader. 

This  book  is  not  written  for  sensational  purposes; 
it  is  not  offered  to  gratify  any  prurient  curiosity;  but 
the  motives  of  both  commissioners  and  publisher  have 
been  to  arouse  in  the  patriotic,  philanthropic  and 
Christian  people  of  this  great  city  an  intense  desire  to 
more  effectually  cope  with  the  sin,  sorrow,  poverty, 
vice  and  wretchedness  that  these  pages  disclose. 

There  is  not  a  single  exaggerated  statement,  con- 


io 


PRELUDE. 


sciously  made,  in  the  whole  book.  The  facts,  and  the 
facts  alone ,  are  given,  and,  if  disputed,  can  be  proven, 
by  reliable  testimony.  Any  person  who  will  take  the 
trouble  to  carefully  investigate  will  find  that  much  more 
than  is  contained  in  this  volume  could  truthfully  be 
said  and  still  leave  the  record  of  poverty,  woe  and  vice 
incomplete  and  fragmentary.  We  have  only  touched 
here  and  there  the  great  cancers  that  so  deface  the 
beauty  and  destroy  the  healthfulness  of  Chicago. 

There  are  those  who  will  exclaim  :  What  good  do 
you  hope  to  accomplish  by  the  publication  of  such  a 
book?  They  will  shake  their  heads  in  condemnation 
of  our  work.  The  answer  we  make  to  all  such  is  : 
That  poverty,  disease  and  vice  are  lurking,  not  only  in 
“  the  dark  places,”  but  in  the  business  center  of  the 
city,  and  that  many  of  the  better  class  of  citizens  are 
apparently  unaware  of  these  existences.  To  assist  them 
to  carry  out  the  necessary  reforms,  the  character,  object 
and  aims  of  the  proprietors  of  the  “  dark  places  ”  must 
be  shown.  When  this  is  done,  there  is  some  hope  of 
a  thorough  moral  scavenger  work  being  inaugurated 
and  vigorously  prosecuted. 

Plain  language  has  been  used — not  any  plainer* 
however,  than  was  necessary  to  let  the  reader  under¬ 
stand  the  terrible  conditions  in  which  the  poor  and 
vicious  of  this  city  live. 

If  these  pages  result  in  the  awakening  of  the 
people  of  Chicago  to  the  urgent  needs  and  demands  of 


PRELUDE. 


IT 


the  present  hour,  and  to  renewed  activity  and  increase 
in  the  organizations  which  already  exist  for  the  ameli 
oration  of  the  fearful  conditions  under  which  the  pov¬ 
erty-stricken  and  criminal  classes  dwell,  whose  lives, 
with  their  awful  surroundings,  are  here  depicted,  the 
expenditure  of  time,  energy  and  money  on  the  part  of 
commissioners  and  publisher  will  be  well  repaid,  and 
their  labor  not  have  been  in  vain. 

The  remedies  proposed  are  earnestly  commended 
to  the  consideration  of  those  who,  regardless  of  creed 
or  nationality,  are  striving  to  make  Chicago  great  in 
that  righteousness  which  exalteth  a  nation,  as  well  as 
great  in  that  material  prosperity  which  has  made  her 
the  cynosure  of  the  business  eyes  of  the  whole  civilized 
world. 


THE  CHIEF  COMMISSIONER. 


r- 


1 


Poverty  and  the  Poor 


“It  is  not  to  die,  or  even  to  die  of  hunger,  that  makes 
a  man  wretched  ;  many  men  have  died ;  all  men  must  die 
— the  last  exit  of  us  all  is  in  a  Fire-Chariot  of  Pain.  But 
it  is  to  live  miserable  we  know  not  why  ;  to  work  and  yet 
gain  nothing  ;  to  be  heart-worn,  weary,  yet  isolated,  girt  in 
with  a  cold,  universal  laissez-faire;  it  is  to  die  slowly  all 
our  life  long,  imprisoned  in  a  deaf,  dead,  Infinite  Justice, 
as  in  the  accursed  belly  of  a  Phalaris’  Bull !  This  is,  and 
remains  forever,  intolerable  to  all  men  whom  God  has 
made.”  — Carlyle , 

•‘How  shall  the  love  of  God  be  understood  by  those 
who  have  been  nurtured  in  sight  only  of  the  greed  of  man  ?  ’  ’ 


— A  Brooklyn  Builder. 


HE  visitor  to  Chicago  who  comes  for  pleasure 


and  recreation  is  taken  by  his  friends  in  an 


elegant  carriage  and  driven  down  Grand 


Boulevard,  Drexel  Boulevard,  Ashland  Boulevard, 
Washington  Boulevard,  Sheridan  Drive,  Michigan 
Avenue,  and  the  many  other  boulevards  and  avenues, 
past  palatial  residences,  designed  by  skilful  architects 
and  built  by  experienced  builders,  into  the  parks  and 
drives  which  the  city  has  wisely  provided,  and  along 
the  shores  of  grand  old  Lake  Michigan.  He,  views  its 
massive,  Babel-like,  public  buildings  and  its  great  hotels^ 
is  feted  at  the  clubs,  and  spends  his  evening  in  a  box  in 
the  chastely  appointed  Auditorium,  and  in  the  quiet 
midnight  hour  is  invited  to  stand  in  the  middle  of 


*4 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


Michigan  Avenue  and  look,  first  to  the  south  and  then 
to  the  north;  and  as  the  length  of  the  avenue  down 
which  he  drove  in  the  daytime,  is  revealed  in  dimmest 
outline,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  by  the  subdued 
yet  clear  light  of  the  long  lines  of  gas  lamps — he  thinks 
that,  assuredly,  he  is  now  in  the  finest  street  that  can  be 
found  in  the  heart  of  any  great  city  in  the  habitable 
globe.  In  the  morning  he  leaves  Chicago,  full  of 
rhetorical  enthusiasm  over  the  great  and  glorious — the 
young  and  beautiful  city  he  has  just  left  behind.  Its 
homes  are  “  super  par  excellence,” — its  Auditorium,  un¬ 
rivalled — its  parks,  exquisite — its  lake-view,  sublime — 
its  avenues,  delightful — its  energy,  wonderful — its  suc¬ 
cess,  unequalled — its  future,  glorious.  Words  fail  him 
to  express  the  feelings  of  astonishment  that  overcame 
him  as  he  saw  how  the  Goddess  of  Plenty  had  poured 
forth  her  golden  stores  into  the  lap  of  this  phoenix  of 
American  cities.  And,  as  far  as  he  had  seen,  his  judg¬ 
ment  would  have  been  correct,  his  enthusiasm  easy  to 
understand,  and  his  laudation  to  be  expected. 

But,  alas!  there  are  two  sides  to  every  picture. 
Too  often  we  hear  after  the  “  Look  on  this  side!”  the 
sad  response,  “  Now,  look  on  that!  ” 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  it  is  the  too  great 
temptation  of  ordinary  Chicago  humanity  to  look  only 
on  the  side  of  the  prosperity,  progress,  magnificence 
and  splendor  of  their  city,  and  in  the  feelings  of  honest 
pride  that  spring  up  with  such  contemplation  to  forget, 
or  wilfully  overlook,  the  other  side. 

There  is  more  of  optimism  in  our  hearts  than  of 
pessimism,  and  it  is  because  we  believe  that  the  optim¬ 
istic  hearts  of  the  men  and  women  of  Chicago  will  lead 
them  to  determine  to  make  all  things  fair  and  beautiful 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


15 


and  good  in  their  city  that  this  corps  of  commissioners 
was  appointed  to  draw  aside  the  veil  that  too  long  has 
covered  the  other — the  darker,  the  sadder  side  of  the 
picture. 

Chicagoans!  you  are  brave,  you  are  fearless,  you 
are  manly,  you  are  womanly.  We  honestly  affirm 
this.  Will  you  shrink  from  the  contemplation  of  the 
lives  of  your  brothers  and  sisters,  because  such  contem¬ 
plation  is  saddening  and  painful?  We  have  faith  in 
you  that  you  will  not.  We  believe  in  you,  that  you 
will  earnestly  seek  to  help  those  whose  sorrows  are 
presented  to  you  ;  to  determinately  punish  those  who 
deliberately  befoul  your  fair  city.  Therefore  without 
fear  or  hesitation,  we  show  you  some  of  the  dark 
places  that  exist  in  your  midst. 

It  must  be  confessed  and  conceded  that  there  do 
not  exist  in  Chicago  such  dense  masses  of  dire  degrada¬ 
tion  and  wretchedness  of  poverty  as  may  be  found  in 
New  York  or  London.  But  the  conditions  are  here, 
and  the  coming  years  will  surely  develop  them.  There 
are  localities,  such  as  Little  Hell,  The  Black  Hole,  the 
Italian  Quarter,  the  Polish  Quarter,  the  Arab  tenement 
houses — sections  to  be  found  off  South  Halsted,  Third, 
Fourth,  Pacific,  Blue  Island  and  other  avenues  and 
streets,  that  beggar  description.  Tumble  down,  ricketty, 
wretched  frame  houses — alleys  full  of  reeking  filth — 
the  refuse  of  stables,  ash-piles,  decaying  vegetable 
matter,  giving  out  foul  odors,  and  uniting  with  miastnic 
cess-pools,  in  breeding  disease  and  death.  Here  you 
may  see  blear-eyed,  bloated-bodied,  semi-palsied,  de¬ 
jected,  debased,  degraded  men  and  women;  children 
who  are  utter  strangers  to  soap,  water  and  towel,  and 
whose  greatest  enjoyment  is  to  dabble  in  the  mud  and 


i6 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


filth  of  the  alleys.  Inside,  the  houses  are  as  vile  as  their 
outer  surroundings.  Close,  stuffy  and  stinking,  with¬ 
out  any  attempt  at  ventilation — men  and  women  crowd¬ 
ing  together  as  swine  in  a  dirty  sty — cooking,  eating, 
drinking,  smoking,  working  and  sleeping,  all  in  the 
same  room — no  attempt  at  decency  in  the  separation  of 
the  sexes — boys,  girls,  elder  brothers,  sisters,  father  and 
mother  all  sleeping  together  in  one  room ;  the  picture  is 
not  one  of  beauty,  nor  fit  for  calm  contemplation — nor 
is  contact  with  the  immediate  locations  anything  but 
nauseating  in  the  extreme. 

Yet  they  exist.  They  are  here  in  our  midst,  and 
they  ought  not  to  be  here.  Some  effort  should  be  made 
to  remove  them.  In  our  chapter  on  “  Remedies,”  there 
are  some  suggestions  which  we  trust  will  be  deemed 
worthy  of  trial,  and  which  are  earnestly  commended  as 
the  outcome  of  years  of  study  and  thought  of  those 
whose  work  has  been  in  the  amelioration  of  similar 
foul  conditions  in  other  large  cities. 

There  are  many  who  will  say  they  are  perfectly 
familiar  with  the  fact  that  in  every  large  city,  there 
must,  of  very  necessity,  exist  a  large  number  of  poor, 
very  poor  people,  and  that,  therefore,  Chicago  is  no 
exception  to  the  general  rule. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  these  pages  to  show  that 
Chicago  is  an  exception,  but  it  is  apparent  that  dire 
destitution  exists  here  on  the  one  hand,  and  that  great 
wealth  is  in  the  hands  of  professedly  Christian  people 
and  philanthropists  on  the  other. 

Who  could  read  the  columns  of  the  Herald  some 
weeks  ago,  when  the  editor,  with  his  corps  of  report¬ 
ers,  penetrated  some  of  the  dark  regions  of  poverty  in 
this  city,  and  not  feel  his  heart  moved?  The  tales  of 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


17 


woe  there  related  were  unquestionably  true,  and  yet 
they  were  but  a  hundredth  part  of  what  might  have 
been  told.  Relief  was  cheerfully  given  by  many  peo¬ 
ple,  and  yet  it  must  be  confessed  the  effort  was  but 
spasmodic,  and  the  Herald  itself  stated  that  it  had  to 
close  its  relief  rooms  when  there  were  still  constant 
calls  for  aid . 

Our  chief  commissioner  in  speaking  with  a  gentle¬ 
man  well  known  in  Chicago’s  political  life,  asked  him 
to  give  his  view  of  the  general  distress  and  poverty,  and 
here  is  what  he  said: 

“  When  the  city  put  in  operation  the  compulsory 
education  law,  tenant  inspectors  were  sent  out  to  bring 
in  the  truant  children.  They  found  a  great  number  so 
destitute  that  they  were  absolutely  unfit  to  attend  the 
public  schools.  Common  decency  would  not  permit 
that  children  of  both  sexes,  in  a  worse  than  semi-nude 
condition,  should  associate  in  the  school-rooms.  A  com¬ 
mittee  of  ladies  representing  the  Chicago  Women’s 
Club,  the  Trades’  Association  and  the  Women’s  Asso¬ 
ciation,  started  a  movement  to  clothe  these  poor 
children.  In  one  season  they  clothed  over  300,  and 
yet,  they  acknowledged  that  they  could  only  reach  the 
mere  outskirts,  whilst  the  dense  mass  of  poverty  was 
allowed  to  remain  unheeded  and  unhelped. 

u  A  friend  of  mine  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  fol¬ 
lowing::  Some  time  in  the  middle  of  last  winter  an 
advertisement  appeared  in  one  of  the  papers  for  men 
to  go  out  of  the  city  and  cut  ice.  Passing  near  the 
Canal  Street  depot  my  friend  saw  an  immense  crowd 
gathered  there,  and  fearing  a  terrible  railway  accident 
had  taken  place,  and  that  they  were  bringing  in 
the  dead  and  wounded,  he  worked  his  way  into 


i8 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


the  throng  and  asked  what  was  the  matter.  To  his 
astonishment  he  found  that  this  great  crowd  was  com¬ 
posed  of  laborers  who  had  come  to  answer  the  adver¬ 
tisement  for  ice-cutters.  Although  the  wages  were 
small  and  the  work  disagreeable,  so  anxious  were  men 
for  work,  that  they  begged  to  be  sent  out. 

w  I  have  in  my  possession  a  transcript  of  the  daily 
record  (for  two  days)  of  one  of  our  city  police  sta 
tions.  Last  February,  in  one  night,  124  destitute,  home 
less  men  applied  for  shelter,  and  of  this  number  sixty^ 
eight  were  native-born  Americans.  The  station  was 
so  crowded  that  in  one  cell  8  x  9^,  fourteen  men  passed 
the  night.  Some  would  stand  whilst  the  others  lay 
packed  like  sardines,  and  after  awhile,  those  standing 
would  change  places  with  those  who,  on  the  floor,  were 
seeking  to  woo  “  sweet,  peaceful  sleep.”  And  there  is 
not  a  night  that  passes  that  you  cannot  find  in  the  police 
stations  a  large  number  of  these  homeless  men,  who, 
because  of  their  wretchedness  and  poverty,  are  thus 
compelled  to  become  familiar  with  the  cells  where 
criminals  only  are  supposed  to  be  confined.  It  needs 
no  keen  acumen  to  see  that  this,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  has  a  demoralizing  tendency,  for,  too  often, 
alas!  it  is  but  a  step  from  misfortune  to  criminality.  It 
should  be  the  aim  of  good  government  to  do  all  it  can 
to  make  that  step  hard  to  take,  but  this  plan  of  sending 
poor  men  to  the  prison  cells  of  bad  men,  simply  because 
they  have  no  means  to  go  elsewhere,  is  a  reversing  of 
that  principle,  and  thus  renders  the  taking  of  the  step 
from  misfortune  to  criminality  an  easy  and  almost 
natural  one. 

“  An  old  man,  wretched,  poor,  homeless  and  desti¬ 
tute  not  knowing  where  to  lay  his  head,  was  seen  to 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


19 

take  a  shovel  and  deliberately  break  a  window  of  a 
store  directly  opposite  the  police  station. 

“  What  did  you  do  that  for?”  asked  the  policeman 
who  arrested  him. 

“  ’Cos  I  was  hungry  and  cold,  and  I  knew  if  you 
got  me  I  should  have  shelter  and  food.” 

“  He  was  taken  and  cared  for  after  he  had  violated 
the  law,  when,  had  there  been  sensible  provision  made 
for  such  cases  he  need  not  thus  have  violated  it. 

“  A  gentleman  standing  by,  in  reply  to  the  com¬ 
ment  made  that  it  was  “  hard  lines  for  the  poor  old 
man,”  sagely  remarked:  “  My  dear  sir!  are  you  not 
aware  that  the  law  must  protect  property?” 

“Unfortunately,  it  is  hard  to  see  how  such  law 
does  protect  property  in  the  slightest  degree.  The 
window  was  smashed,  and  the  law  made  no  indemnifi- 
cation  to  the  owner.  It  punished  the  offender,  by 
giving  him  what  he  asked  for,  but  only  gave  it ,  after 
he  had  violated  the  law. 

“  A  short  time  ago  the  Globe  instituted  an  inquiry 
as  to  the  number  of  men  at  present  in  the  city  out  of 
employment.  It  gave,  as  the  total,  that  there  were 
40,000  adults  seeking  work.  Bear  this  statement  in 
mind  with  what  now  follows. 

“At  a  meeting  of  the  Trades’  Association  a  mo¬ 
tion  was  made  to  the  effect  that  the  Association  request 
the  mayor  of  the  city  and  the  directory  of  the  World’s 
Fair  to  issue  a  proclamation  declaring  that  the  city  was 
flooded  with  idle  men,  and  warning  the  unemployed  of 
other  cities  and  districts  not  to  come  here  as  there  was 
not  work  for  them. 

“  The  following  morning  a  reporter  waited  upon 
Mayor  Cregier  and  asked  him  what  he  would  do  if 


to 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


ihe  resolution  were  presented  to  him.  His  immediate 
reply  was  to  the  effect  that  he  would  gladly  issue  such 
a  proclamation,  especially  mentioning  the  fact  that 
there  were  20,000  unemployed  men  in  the  city  already. 

“Now  look  at  the  two  statements,  and  you  see  the 
awfulness  of  the  fact,  no  matter  which  estimate  is  ac¬ 
cepted  as  correct.  Suppose  you  strike  a  balance 
between  the  two,  (although  the  Trades’  Association 
inclines  to  believe  the  Globe’s  figures  are  the  more  ac¬ 
curate),  and  you  have  the  appalling  assurance  that  30,- 
000  unemployed  men  are  wandering  through  the  streets 
of  this  city  seeking  work.  Even  granted  that  the 
mayor’s  conservative  estimate  is  most  correct,  the  fear¬ 
ful  fact  still  remains  that  our  peace  is  menaced  by 
twenty  thousand  men  who  have  not  the  necessary  work 
to  earn  their  daily  bread. 

“  In  a  personal  conversation  I  had  with  Vice- 
President  Bryan  of  the  World’s  Fair  Directory,  he 
asked  the  question  if  I  didn’t  think  that  the  publishing 
of  the  minimum  rate  of  wages  that  the  directors  were 
to  pay  for  unskilled  labor,  viz:  $1.50  a  day,  would  re¬ 
sult  in  the  pouring  into  this  city  from  the  outlying 
districts  and  other  cities,  of  many  to  whom  even  these 
small  wages  would  be  an  alluring  bait.  Think  of  how 
much  such  a  question  implies!  That  men  outside  are 
so  anxious  to  get  work  that  they  would  flood  this  city 
in  order  to  earn  the  large  sum  of  $1.50  per  day. 

“Only  a  few  days  ago  the  papers  gave  an  account 
of  a  society  just  organized  by  some  of  the  capitalists  of 
this  city  for  the  establishment  of  a  Laborer’s  Refuge. 
I  think  they  were  to  expend  $8,000  in  putting  up  a 
building  where  unemployed  laborers  could  go  and  saw 
wood  and  do  such  like  “  chores  ”  in  order  to  relieve 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


21 


their  more  immediate  and  pressing  necessities.  This  is 
an  admission  that  all  the  ordinary  methods  already  in 
operation  to  meet  such  cases  are  utterly  inadequate  to 
supply  the  demands  made  upon  them  for  help,  and  that 
other  means  are  urgently  necessary  to  satisfy  the  re¬ 
quirements. 

44  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  all  conflicts 
between  capital  and  labor,  the  capitalist  enters  into  the 
strife  knowing  that  he  can  fill  the  place  of  every  striker 
within  a  few  hours.  The  supply  is  so  great,  and  the 
anxiety  of  workingmen  to  obtain  work  so  strong  that 
they  will  even  risk  their  lives  at  the  hands  of  the 
ofttimes  desperate  strikers  in  order  to  gain  a  position. 
The  capitalist  has  no  fear  about  getting  laborers, — the 
only  fear  he  has  is  lest  the  organized  labor  should  by 
force  and  violence  prevent  his  44  scab  ”  workmen,  a* 
they  are  termed,  from  proceeding. 

44  These  facts  most  conclusively  refute  the  state 
orients  too  often  made  that  4  men  won’t  work,’  and 
4  there’s  work  enough  if  men  are  only  willing  to  do 
it.’  Such  is  not  the  truth.  I  can  find  you  many  in 
stances  where  good,  steady  workmen  have  offered  to 
the  foremen  of  certain  establishments  $io,  $25,  and 
even  the  whole  of  the  first  month’s  wages  if  they  would 
find  them  employment.” 

Our  commissioner  acknowledged  the  potency  of 
this  argument,  and  then  asked:  44  But  how  about  the 
4  bums  ’  who  won’t  work  even  when  it  is  offered  to 
them  ?  ”  And  the  reply  is  one  worthy  the  thoughtful 
consideration  of  all.  Said  he:  44  Let  me  ask,  What  is  a 
bum?  As  a  rule,  you  will  find  him  to  be  a  creature 
degraded  by  circumstances  and  evil  conditions.  Let 
me  illustrate.  A  man  loses  his  job  by  sickness  or  some 


22 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


other  unavoidable  cause.  He  seeks  work,  and  I  have 
shown  you  how  difficult  it  is  to  find  it.  He  fails  time 
and  time  again.  Is  there  any  wonder  that  he  grows 
discouraged,  and  that,  picking  up  his  meals  at  the  free 
lunch  counter,  sleeping  in  the  wretched  lodging  houses, 
associating  with  the  filthy  and  degraded,  he,  step  by 
step,  drifts  further  away  from  the  habits  of  integrity 
and  industry  that  used  to  be  a  part  of  himself.  He 
sinks  lower  and  lower  until,  overcome  by  circumstances, 
he  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  social  layer,  a  bum — at  once 
a  menace  and  a  disgrace  to  the  city.  Instead  of  blam¬ 
ing  and  condemning  him,  poor  fellow,  we  should  look 
at  the  circumstances  that  made  him  what  he  is,  and 
endeavor  to  remedy  them.  I  myself  once  spent  fifteen 
weeks  tramping  the  streets  of  this  city,  earnestly  seek¬ 
ing  work,  and  had  not  my  wife  and  children  been  here 
to  comfort  and  console  me,  God  only  knows  what 
would  have  become  of  me  had  I  grown  discouraged.  If 
I  had  been  alone,  in  a  strange  city,  I  might  have 
drifted  into  the  slums,  got  ‘bits’  around  bar  rooms, 
and  ultimately  have  gone  down  into  the  sink  just  as 
hundreds  of  others,  quite  as  good  as  I,  have  done. 

“  No,  I  assure  you,  it  is  only  a  narrow,  ignorant, 
superficial  view  of  affairs  that  will  lead  anyone  to  doubt 
the  existence  of  such  wide-spread  poverty,  and  the  dif¬ 
ficulty  there  is  to  gain  employment.  I  know  thousands 
of  people  will  meet  my  statements  with  their  cool- 
blooded  and  virtuous  remark  that  ‘No  one  can  earnestly 
seek  work  and  not  find  it,’  and  thus  shuffle  their  own 
responsibility  on  to  the  shoulders  of  the  poor  wretch 
who  is  close  upon  the  verge  of  one  of  the  three  preci¬ 
pices  of  desperation,  despair  or  crime.  Let  me  em¬ 
phatically  condemn  that  remark  as  in  many  cases  abso- 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


23 


lutely  untrue.  Then,  when  you  force  upon  these  vir¬ 
tuous  people  the  facts  of  existing  distress,  they  ‘won¬ 
der  how  such  things  could  be,  and  they  never  know  of 
them.’  ” 

Such  were  the  statements  of  general  poverty 
prevalent  in  Chicago  made  to  our  commissioner,  by 
this  gentleman  (a  man  who  is  living  and  struggling  for 
the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men),  in  this  city. 

The  following  cases  are  reported  by  our  various 
commissioners,  and  they  are  but  few  of  many  that 
might  be  given : 

“Ah!  come  in!  You’re  just  in  time  to  go  with  me 

to  see  Captain  O - ,  a  poor  old  man  whose  life  has 

been  most  unfortunate.  I’ve  just  received  this  card 
from  him.”  And  a  card  was  placed  in  my  hands,  on 
which,  in  piteous  terms,  the  writer  besought  the  doctor 
to  come  and  see  him  and  not  let  him  die. 

We  walked  together  to  one  of  the  wretched  places 
of  the  city,  and  going  down  a  flight  of  steps  came  to  a 
door  of  a  wretched  basement.  The  exterior  was 
enough  to  give  one  the  horrors,  but,  the  inside!  Words 
fail  to  describe  it  adequately.  Think  of  it,  ye  servants 
of  the  Christ  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head;  ye, 
who  clothe  yourselves  in  fine  raiment  and  fare 
sumptuously  every  day;  ye,  who  profess  to  be  His  fol¬ 
lowers  and  to  believe  in  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and 
the  brotherhood  of  man,  think  of  it!  Here  was  a  den 
not  fit  for  your  dog;  worse  than  any  wickiup  or  wig¬ 
wam  of  the  most  degraded  Indian  of  the  most  degraded 
tribe  on  this  continent.  I  never  saw  a  more  despicable 
and  wretched  hole  for  human  beings  whom  we  class  as 
civilized,  than  this  place  into  which  we  now  entered. 
Here  to  the  right  is  an  Irish  woman  busy  at  the  wash- 


24 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


tub.  To  the  left  is  a  tiny  stove,  around  which  are  hung 
a  number  of  the  wet  clothes;  from  one  side  of  the 
stove  comes  out  an  old,  stooping,  gray-haired  man, 
coughing  with  the  effort  to  greet  us.  His  face,  when 
we  can  see  it,  bears  the  marks  of  refinement;  indeed,  he 
would  be  a  benignant-looking,  venerable  old  man  if  he 
were  well  dressed  and  in  your  home,  gentle  reader. 
He  used  to  be  well-to-do;  was  a  good,  moral  man. 
Never  smoked,  chewed,  drank  or  gambled,  and  yet  ono 
misfortune  after  another  followed  him  until  he  was 
brought  low.  His  first  wife  died ;  his  daughters  “  married 
well  ”  and  forgot  their  father  from  whose  loins  thev 
sprang.  He  married  again,  and  unfortunately  dis 
covered  soon  after  the  step  was  taken  that  he  had  tied 
himself  to  a  drunkard.  Degradation  followed  poverty, 
until  now  he  was  “  dying  like  a  dog  ”  at  60  years  of 
age,  in  this  place  not  fit  for  a  respectable  dog  to  kennel. 
The  room  was  not  more  that  6xio  feet,  and  was  fully 
four  feet  below  the  level  of  the  yard,  where  the  mis- 
matic-breeding  pools  of  stagnant  water  blinked  at  one 
through  the  dirty  window.  I  stepped  into  the  bedroom, 
just  large  enough  to  hold  a  bed.  It  was  almost  as  dark 
as  night,  yet  I  soon  saw  the  rags  that  constituted  the 
covering.  The  poor  old  fellow  said  pathetically,  “  Pm 
half  eaten  up  by  hundreds  of  fleas,  and  I  can’t  sleep  in 
such  a  place.”  Then,  stepping  back  to  the  kitchen, 
the  old  man  held  up  a  crust  of  dry  bread — two-thirds 
of  a  small  loaf — and  said:  M  That’s  my  fare  for  to-day,” 
and  then,  with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  hf 
mournfully  exclaimed:  “Oh!  doctor,  for  God’s  sake 
tell  some  of  these  Christian  people  to  come  and  sei 
after  me,  and  don’t  let  me  die  like  a  dog  in  thi* 
wretched  hole.”  And  die  he  assuredly  must,  and  sooi 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


25 


too,  unless  speedy  help  be  given.  Suffering  from 
tuberculosis,  sitting  within  a  foot’s  distance  of  damp 
and  steaming  clothes,  insufficiently  clothed  and  fed, 
without  the  opportunity  of  sleep,  how  can  such  a  poor 
miserable  being  live.  Still  he  clings  to  life.  Life  is 
sweet  to  him  as  to  you,  and  yet  in  this  great  and 
wealthy  city  he  is  allowed  to  die  in  such  conditions. 

Mrs.  S - ,  63  years  of  age,  has  been  a  widow  for 

fourteen  years.  I  found  her  in  a  basement,  the  kitchen 
so  dark  as  I  entered  that  I  could  see  no  one  to  own  the 
voice  that  saluted  me.  An  alley  ran  by  the  side  of  the 
small  window,  but  an  immense  wall  shut  out  all  the 
light.  Here  was  a  stove  upon  which  the  wash-boiler 
stood,  for  washing  was  going  on — the  poor  woman’s 
chief  means  of  subsistence.  She  was  full  of  genuine 
aches  and  pains,  in  head,  limbs  and  lungs.  The  doctor 
said  but  a  short  time  ago  she  was  entirely  prostrate  and 
in  bed  for  weeks.  I  stepped  into  the  dark,  dingy  bed¬ 
room,  and  wondered  to  myself  how  it  was  possiblg  for 
anyone  in  sickness  ever  to  get  well  when  confined  in 
such  a  place.  And  yet  the  old  lady  was  cheerful  and 
trustful.  She  seldom  if  ever  complains.  Her  religion 
is  a  real  comfort,  and  she  finds  her  joy  in  looking  for¬ 
ward  to  a  “  home  in  heaven.” 

About  the  first  of  March  of  last  year  a  letter  was 
received,  somewhat  as  follows,  from  a  poor  woman 
whom  the  doctor  had  before  relieved: 

“Dear  Doctor: — Please  come  and  see  me.  I 
am  sick  in  bed,  and  have  lost  the  use  of  my  legs. 
I  think  I’ve  got  dyptheria.  I  haven’t  any  coal,  and 
there  is  nothing  to  eat  in  the  house.  Baby  is  sick  and 
I’m  left  alone.  Please  come  and  see  me.” 

When  the  doctor  arrived  at  the  wretched  place  this 


2  6 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


woman  called  “  home,”  she  found  it  a  miserable,  dark, 
damp  basement.  There  was  no  coal,  no  fire,  and  not 
a  particle  of  food  in  the  house.  The  woman  had  a 
four  week’s  old  baby  by  her  side  on  the  wretched  mat¬ 
tress  that  served  as  bed.  The  babe  was  sick  unto 
death;  the  woman  herself  had  partial  paralysis  of  the 
lower  extremities  and  was  suffering  from  a  diphtheritic 
sore  throat.  To  add  to  her  misery,  her  drunken  hus¬ 
band  after  cruelly  beating  her  had  left  her,  and  with 
another  child  of  two  years  of  age  to  care  for,  there  she 
lay,  uncared  for,  unattended,  forgotten,  left  to  die  in 
her  wretchedness  and  misery,  in  a  Christian  city,  a  city 
which  offers  inducements  to  the  world  to  come  to  her 
great  exposition,  a  city  which  boasts  her  eloquent 
preachers  and  sanctified  men  and  women.  The  doctor 
got  coal  from  the  county,  gave  her  medicines  until  the 
death  of  the  baby  and  her  own  recovery,  and  then  upon 
making  a  later  visit,  learned  that  the  brutal  “  husband  ” 
had  returned,  promised  amendment,  over-persuaded  his 
wife,  and  they  had  gone  to  the  South  Side,  where  they 
tvere  soon  doubtless  again  buried  in  the  slums  of  that 
quarter,  and  where  my  friend  lost  all  trace  of  them. 

Mrs.  P - ,  left  a  widow  some  years  ago,  without 

•neans.  Her  son  managed  to  support  her,  until  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  died.  Is  now  perfectly  destitute,  and 
afflicted  with  rheumatism.  Her  desire  is  to  get  enough 
help  to  be  able  to  rent  a  few  rooms,  furnish  them,  and 
then  earn  her  livelihood  by  taking  in  roomers,  for  she 
is  able  to  do  such  light  work  as  caring  for  rooms. 

Here  is  a  place,  clean  and  neat  though  humble  and 
poverty-stricken,  where  two  maiden  souls  have  knit 
themselves  together  to  help  make  their  poverty  more 
endurable.  As  we  enter,  we  are  met  by  the  the  sad  face 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


27 


of  one  of  the  women,  who  tells  us  that  her  companion 
is  down  in  bed  “sick  with  typhoid  pneumonia.”  They 
^•-tn’t  afford  a  doctor,  so  she  is  being  as  well  cared  for 
a*  poverty-stricken  love  can  care  for  her;  but,  “poor 
soul!  she  worries  her  life  out,  lest  we  should  lose  the 
little  bit  of  work  we  have,  for  I  can’t  attend  to  it  and 
attend  to  her!  You  see,  for  weeks  we’ve  not  had  any 
work,  and  we’d  hard  work  to  keep  body  and  soul 
together,  and  now,  just  when  the  work  comes  in,  she 
goes  and  takes  down  sick.  It’s  awful  hard!”  The 
patience  and  bravery  and  fortitude  of  these  two  women 
struggling  hard  with  poverty,  determined  to  be  “hon¬ 
est”  women  in  spite  of  all  things,  and  to  die  if  needs  be 
in  the  conflict,  would  put  to  shame  the  Christianity  of 
many  of  the  ordinary  women  of  our  Christian  churches. 
They  are  full  of  a  moral  heroism  that  deserves  a  crown 
of  laurel,  for  with  brave  hearts  they  struggle  on,  deter- 
mined  to  win,  and  win  they  will  if  they  have  to  die  to 
do  so.  With  words  of  good  cheer  my  friend  bade 
them  hope  on:  “  Behind  each  cloud  the  sun  is  shining!” 
“Keep  quiet,  dear!  You’ll  soon  be  well,”  said  she, 
turning  to  the  poor  faded  woman  lying  in  a  burning 
high  fever  on  her  humble  bed,  and  with  a  wan  smile 
the  sufferer  thanked  her  visitor  for  her  kind  words, 
that  to  me  in  such  a  place,  had  I  not  known  the  pure, 
genuine  heart  of  the  speaker,  would  have  sounded  like 
the  sarcastic  mockery  of  cant. 

In  the  “workshop”  there  were  several  bundles  of 
unfinished  “pants”  waiting  to  be  sewed.  These  are 
sent, all  cut  out,  and  these  women  have  to  cut  the  trim* 
mings  for  them,  make  them  up,  sew  on  the  buttons  and 
finish  them  ready  to  be  worn  for  the  noble  sum  of  2  4 
cents.  To  aid  a  poor  old  woman  worse  off  than  them- 


28 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


selves,  they  let  her  put  on  the  bands,  and  for  this  they 
pay  her  7  cents  a  pair.  This  leaves  14  cents  for  cutting 
and  fitting  the  trimmings,  basting  together  the  material, 
sewing,  pressing  and  finishing,  and  they  furnish  their 
own  thread.  In  receiving  and  delivering  the  goods 
they  have  to  pay  expressage,  and  so,  often,  to  save  this 
item  of  expense  they  arrange  to  walk  to  the  store  and 
carry  the  work  they  have  done.  If  the  store  cutter  has 
failed  to  give  out  the  right  materials,  rather  than  run 
the  risk  of  losing  the  work  by  making  complaint,  they 
make  the  loss  good;  and  whilst  this  does  not  occur' 
often,  it  occurs  often  enough  to  be  counted  as  an  item 
of  expenditure. 

What  wonder  that  with  insufficient  nourishment 
and  overwork,  one  is  overpowered  and  lays  at  the  door' 
of  death  with  typhoid  pneumonia,  and  the  other  suffers 
from  weak  eyes  induced  by  the  same  causes. 

Mrs.  B - ,  a  woman  in  consumption,  with  one 

daughter  15,  one  son  12.  Husband  killed  about  three 
years  ago  on  the  railroad,  where  he  was  employed. 
Steady,  sober,  industrious,  home-loving  man.  In  spite 
of  three  years  of  destitution  the  home  still  bears  many 
traces  of  his  care  for  his  family.  The  woman  is  yet 
young,  being  not  more  than  35,  and  yet  she  has  buried 
eleven  children.  “  Being  Americans,”  to  use  her  own 
words,  “  although  my  husband  earned  $125  a  month, 
we  lived  right  up  to  it  and  never  thought  of  a  rainy 
day.”  Two  months  after  the  cruel  death  of  the  hus¬ 
band  she  gave  birth  to  a  child.  Then  came  the  death 
of  another  of  her  children,  soon  to  be  followed  by  the 
death  of  the  baby.  The  three  were  then  left  alone. 
The  girl  was  compelled  to  stay  home  to  care  for  the 
mother,  and  the  lad  earned,  until  last  Christmas,  $10  a 


POVERTY  AND  THE  POOR. 


29 


month,  since  when  his  employers,  knowing  his  kindness 
to  his  mother,  have  raised  his  wages  to  $15.  The  girl 
can  sometimes  leave  her  consumptive  mother  and  go 
and  earn  a  little.  The  rent  is  $6  or  $7  a  month,  the 
lad  earns  $15.  This  leaves  $8  a  month  for  fuel,  food, 
clothing  and  medicine  (for  the  afflicted  woman  must 
have  medicine)  for  three  persons.  Think  of  the  vari¬ 
ety  of  food,  the  luxuries  that  may  be  purchased  for  a 
family  of  three  from  $8  a  month!  Just  enough  for 
cigar  money  for  some  young  men!  About  pay  for  the 
beer  of  others! 

And  this  would  be  the  state  of  affairs  in  this  poor 
home  were  it  not  that  help  has  been  given  from  kindly 
friends,  one  of  the  circles  of  the  King’s  Daughters,  the 
fair  members  of  which  may  God  bless  in  their  good 
work. 

These  cases  can  be  multiplied  by  hundreds  of  oth 
ers,  as  the  reports  of  all  the  relief  societies  abundantly 
testify. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of 
the  causes  of  poverty.  The  reformer  must  seek  these 
himself.  We  simply  call  attention  to  the  facts  and  urge 
that  they  demand  speedy  action  for  their  remedy,  on 
the  basis  of  the  Golden  Rule  of  Christ. 


Saloons  and  Their  Habitues . 


“Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink,  that 
putteth  the  bottle  to  him,  and  maketh  him  drunken  also.” 

— Habakkuk , 

“I  believe  that  alcohol,  to  a  certain  degree,  demor¬ 
alizes  those  who  sell  it  and  those  who  drink  it.  I  believe 
from  the  time  it  issues  from  the  coiled  and  poisonous  worm 
of  the  distillery  until  it  empties  into  the  hell  of  crime,  death 
and  dishonor,  it  demoralizes  everybody  that  touches  it.  I 
do  not  believe  that  anybody  can  contemplate  the  subject 
without  becoming  prejudiced  against  this  liquid  crime.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  think  of  the  wrecks  upon  either  bank 
of  this  stream  of  death — of  the  suicides,  of  the  insanity,  of 
the  poverty,  of  the  ignorance,  of  the  distress,  of  the  little 
children  tugging  at  the  faded  dresses  of  weeping  and  de¬ 
spairing  wives,  asking  for  bread;  of  men  of  genius  it  has 
wrecked;  of  the  millions  who  have  struggled  with  imagi¬ 
nary  serpents  produced  by  this  devilish  thing.  And  when 
you  think  of  the  jails,  of  the  almshouses,  of  the  prisons, 
and  of  the  scaffolds  upon  either  bank — I  do  not  wonder 
that  every  thoughtful  man  is  prejudiced  against  the  damned 
stuff  called  alcohol.”  — Robert  G.  Ingersoll. 


il  This  traffic  lies  at  the  center  of  all  political  and  so¬ 
cial  mischief.  It  paralyzes  energies  in  every  direction,  it 
neutralizes  educational  agencies,  it  silences  the  voice  of  re¬ 
ligion,  it  baffles  penal  reform,  it  obstructs  political  reform.” 

—  New  York  Tribune . 


OF  this  many  headed  saloon  monster  much  has 
been  written  in  newspapers,  magazines  and 
books — much  has  been  said  on  platform  and 
pulpit,  before  the  bar  and  on  the  bench,  and  yet  it  is 


30 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


31 


unquestionably  true  that  “  not  half  has  ever  been  told.” 
It  is  almost  an  impossibility  to  exaggerate  the  evils  of 
this  fearful  business.  Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of 
the  individual  reader  as  to  the  propriety  of  taking  a  glass 
of  beer,  wine  or  spirits,  when  one  feels  like  it,  there  can 
be  but  one  opinion  as  to  the  demoralizing  effect  of  the 
open  saloon. 

It  is  an  astounding  fact  that  in  Chicago  alone  there 
are  about  5,600  saloons.  Place  these  saloons  side  by 
side  and  on  each  side  of  the  roadway,  giving  each  sa¬ 
loon  a  width  of  front  of  twenty  feet,  and  you  would 
have  one  vast  street  of  saloons  reaching  oT'er  ten  miles 

IN  EXTENT. 

Many  licenses  for  saloons  are  granted  where  the 
city  officials  could  refuse  to  grant  them  if  they  so  de¬ 
sired.  Indeed,  it  may  be  affirmed  here,  as  the  Rev. 
Thom  as  Dixon  once  declared  of  the  Excise  Board  in 
New  York:  “It  is  perfectly  safe  to  say  that  if  the 
devil  himself  should  apply  to  the  board  for  a  license  to 
set  up  a  branch  establishment  of  hell  on  the  children’s 
playground  in  Central  Park,  it  would  grant  it.” 

Let  us  look  at  a  few  figures  in  regard  to  the  saloon 
interest  in  this  city.  Our  estimates  are  carefully  made, 
and  we  will  verify  and  defend  them  if  challenged. 

For  the  year  ending  March  1,  1891,  the  expendi¬ 
ture  for  beer  in  this  city  alone  was  not  less  than  forty 
million  dollars!  $40,000,000 ! ! 

The  population  is  about  1,200,000.  This  gives  an 
average  expenditure  for  beer  alone  of  $33.25  for  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  Chicago,  and  these  results  are 
gained  after  the  most  conservative  figuring.  This 
would  give  over  fifty-three  gallons  of  beer  to  be  con¬ 
sumed  by  each  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  city. 


32 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


Now,  when  it  is  considered  how  many  people 
/here  are  who  never  touch  the  stuff,  it  is  easy  to  perceive 
that  somebody  has  a  large  cargo  of  beer  annually  to 
carry. 

We  are  told  that  Germany  is  a  great  beer  drinking 
country,  and  yet  the  official  statistics  for  1888  show  that 
in  Germany  only  twenty-five  gallons  per  capita  were 
drunk.  Our  estimate  for  Chicago  shows  more  than 
double  that  per  capita.  Shame  on  Chicago  for  such  a 
showing! 

Let  us  look  now  and  see  what  this  immense  sum 
of  $40,000,000  annually  spent  in  beer  might  do  for  this 
city  if  wisely  expended.  It  would  supply  to  40,000 
Chicago  families  an  income  of  $1,000  a  year,  or  over 
$83  a  month. 

Where  would  our  Chicago  poverty  be  if  40,000 
families  were  each  spending  in  legitimate  trade  $83  a 
month?  Workmen  would  be  in  demand  and  business 
would  so  increase  as  to  make  Chicago  in  ten  years  the 
leading  city  on  this  continent. 

But  suppose  we  were  to  expend  the  beer  money  in 
educational  purposes.  We  could  build  fifty  new  school 
houses,  with  manual  training  in  each  one  of  them,  for 
all  the  children  of  Chicago,  free;  give  more  teachers  in 
proportion,  open  more  free  kindergartens  for  the  little 
ones,  and  publish  free  text  books,  and  do  all  this  with¬ 
out  collecting  a  single  cent  of  school  tax,  and  keep  it  up 
for  four  years  on  the  amount  wasted  in  beer  alone  for 
one  year.  Think  of  it!  Vastly  increased  school  ac¬ 
commodation  and  no  taxes  for  four  years,  and  yet  Chi¬ 
cago’s  sons  and  daughters — citizens — fool  the  money 
2  Way  in  froth  and  dirty  water. 

Two  millions  of  barrels  of  beer  each  year  are 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


33 


thus  consumed,  at  an  expenditure  of  $40,000,000.  Take 
this  money  and  spend  it  directly  in  building  beautiful 
new  homes  for  the  workingmen  of  this  city,  and  what 
should  we  see? 

Fourteen  thousand  commodious  cottages  built 
at  a  cost  of  $2,500  each,  on  lots  which,  bought  in  acre¬ 
age  in  a  suburban  district,  could  be  deeded  to  the  work¬ 
ingmen  at  $180  each,  and  these,  together  with  a  check 
for  another  $180,  given  to  each  family  to  help  in  fur¬ 
nishing  the  houses  they  owned.  What  an  aggregation 
of  domestic  happiness  in  home  life,  and  all  for  the 
money  spent  in  beer  for  one  year  alone. 

Now,  if  Chicago’s  expenditure  for  beer  only 
amounts  to  $40,000,000  we  may  safely  say  that  for  all 
kinds  of  intoxicating  beverages,  including  wines  and 
distilled  liquors,  Chicago  spent  last  year  upwards  of 
eighty  millions  of  dollars.  Is  there  any  limit  to 
the  great  good  that  could  come  to  the  city  with  this 
amount  expended  in  proper  channels? 

-If  in  the  year  1891-2  only ,  this  vast  amount  of 
money  were  expended  as  follows,  what  a  city  the  world 
would  be  able  to  aze  upon  in  1893  when  the  World’s 
Fair  is  opened: 


In  street  improvements . 

The  great  waterway . 

Double  the  water  supply . 

Double  the  school  accommodation . 

New  public  library  with  immense  additions  and  im¬ 
provements;  . 

Public  baths,  model  tenement  houses  for  the  poor  and 

other  improvements . 

Fine  art  building . 


$10,000,000 

18,000,000 

12,000,000 

10,000,000 

5,000,000 

10,000,000 

5,000,000 


Total 


$70,  000, 000 


34 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


And  there  would  still  be  left  $10,000,000  for  “  inci¬ 
dentals,”  or  to  help  Uncle  Sam  build  a  new  city  post- 
office. 

Take  the  directory  and  see  what  avast  difference 
there  is  in  the  number  of  other  businesses  in  Chicago, 
compared  with  this  great  saloon  business,  whose  chief 
products  are  drunken  men  and  women,  whoremongers, 
prostitutes,  murderers,  thieves,  tramps,  bums,  vaga¬ 
bonds,  ward  politicians  and  general  all-around  scoun¬ 
drels,  And  yet  this  is  the  business  we  allow  to  exist  in 
our  midst  because,  forsooth,  we  can’t  find  just  the  men 
we  want  to  represent  us  in  politics.  Why  don’t  the 
sensible,  intelligent  men  of  this  city  sink  every  other  in¬ 
terest  in  the  effort  to  crush  out  of  existence  this  vile  and 
demoralizing  business,  and  then,  whilst  we  don’t  believe 
the  millennium  would  dawn  on  Chicago,  we  are  sure 
that  so  much  wretchedness  and  poverty  would  disap¬ 
pear  as  to  make  it  a  heaven  to  many  whose  existence  in 
it  now  is  a  continual  hell. 

For  in  dealing  with  the  figures  of  this  colossal  evil 
we  have  necessarily  been  confined  to  the  actual  cost, 
but  how  about  those  expenditures  of  money,  energy, 
time,  character,  manhood,  womanhood,  etc.,  that  cannot 
be  estimated?  How  about  the  increased  number  of 
criminals  and  increased  police  force  required  to  care  for 
them,  as  the  outcome  of  this  accursed  business?  How 
about  the  great  cost  of  accidents  which  occur  directly 
through  liquor,  such  as  fires, injuries  to  the  person,  etc.? 

How  about  the  cost  in  the  loss  of  work  and  wages 
of  men  ruined  by  this  business? 

How  about  the  increased  cost  of  the  large  number 
of  paupers  made  so  through  drink? 

How  about  the  cost  in  the  reducing  of  the  effic- 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


35 


iency  of  men  through  their  slavery  to  this  fearful  habit? 

How  about  the  v.ast  amount  of  disease  ana  predis¬ 
position  to  crime  inherited  by  children  as  the  result  of 
their  parents’  dissipation? 

How  about  the  cost  in  human  lives  shortened  and 
wasted  by  this  traffic? 

These  costs  can  never  fully  be  known  until  the 
day  of  judgment,  when  the  whole  of  this  infernal  traffic 
will  be  banished  to  the  hell  to  which  it  belongs,  and 
from  whence  it  sprang. 

That  the  saloon  interest  in  Chicago  is  opposed  to 
law,  order  and  the  due  protection  of  its  citizens,  is 
proven  most  conclusively  by  the  action  of  the  saloon 
men  when  under  Mr.  Onahan’s  collectorship  an  attempt 
was  made  to  pass  an  ordinance  in  which  the  following 
points  were  sought  to  be  secured: 

1.  No  license  to  be  granted  a  saloon  to  locate 
within  200  feet  of  any  school,  church  or  hospital. 

2.  No  one  person  or  firm  to  be  granted  more  than 
one  saloon  license. 

3.  No  licenses  should  be  granted  unless  a  majority 
of  the  property  owners  of  the  block  gave  their  consent. 

4.  No  minor  should  be  served  with  liquor,  even 
for  home  consumption,  unless  by  written  request  of 
parent  or  guardian. 

Strong  speeches  were  made  on  the  side  of  this  or¬ 
dinance  (which  included  other  good  points)  but  the  sa¬ 
loon  element  defeated  it.  The  Tribune  and  other 
papers  spoke  highly  in  its  favor,  but  that  didn’t  alter 
the  votes  of  the  seven  brewers  or  saloonkeepers  in  the 
council,  who  themselves  violated  parliamentary  law  by 
voting  on  a  resolution  which  directly  affected  their 
business. 


36 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


The  attorney  for  the  brewers  said:  “If  the  first 
named  restriction  were  imposed  some  two  to  three 
hundred  saloons  would  be  closed  and  their  license 
money  lost  to  the  city,  thus  crippling  the  city  govern¬ 
ment.” 

Look  at  this  infamous  statement!  Between  two 
and  three  hundred  saloons  in  Chicago  within  a  distance 
of  200  feet  of  schools,  churches  or  hospitals.  Infa¬ 
mous,  indeed!  If  Chicago’s  city  government  cannot  be 
run  without  putting  these  trap-doors  to  hell  directly  in 
front  of  the  pathway  of  our  boys  and  girls  as  they  go 
to  and  from  school — if  the  city  government  cannot 
raise  its  finances  in  some  less  devilish  way  than  this,  we 
think  all  true  men  will  say  the  sooner  we  have  a  new 
mode  of  government  the  better. 

The  Chicago  saloon  to  day  stands,  a  law-defying, 
disorder-producing,  crime-breeding  power,  and  it  will 
continue  its  aggressions  until  it  is  slain  and  buried  with 
its  face  downwards,  as  the  Welsh  woman  proposed  to 
bury  the  devil,  so  that  if  it  should  chance  to  come  to  life 
again  and  try  to  scratch  its  way  out  it  would  only  bury 
itself  the  deeper. 

Nearly  the  whole  saloon  element  is  a  law-defying 
eAement.  The  Brewers’  Association  pays  the  costs  of 
all  suits  and  defends  all  of  its  members  whether  they 
have  violated  the  law  or  not ,  and  thus  aids  these  law- 
defying  men  to  evade  the  penalties  a  just  law  would  in¬ 
flict  upon  them. 

It  is  directly  and  openly  charged  that  in  the  saloons 
of  Chicago  were  hatched  and  fostered  the  horrible  con¬ 
spiracies  of  the  anarchists,  the  boodlers,  and  the  Cronin 
murderers,  conspiracies  which  cost  the  taxpayers  of  this 
city  and  county  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


37 


The  first  serious  riot  that  occurred  in  Chicago 
prior  to  1886  was  the  Beer  Riot  of  1851  (or  therea¬ 
bouts),  when  the  Germans  of  the  North  Side,  infuriated 
by  the  city  council  raising  the  beer  license  to  $100,  came 
en  masse  in  the  direction  of  the  city.  They  weremet  by 
the  officers  of  the  law  at  one  of  the  bridges,  and  in  the 
collision  firearms  were  discharged  and  several  killed. 

Then,  too,  the  whole  system  is  Un-American .  This 
accursed  saloon  business  is  not  in  the  hands  of  Ameri¬ 
cans.  Let  an  American  who  is  only  familiar  with  his 
own  language  walk  down  the  streets  of  Chicago  and 
try  and  pronounce  the  names  of  the  saloon-keepers,  and 
he  will  find  it  an  impossibility.  What  with  Germans, 
Irish,  Italians,  Poles,  Swedes,  Russians  and  Spaniards, 
he  may  well  wonder  what  foreign  business  this  is  that 
has  intruded  itself  in  an  American  city. 

We  distinctly  charge  the  saloons  of  Chicago  with 
being  violators  of  the  law  in  the  following  points: 

They  are  required  to  close  on  Sunday,  and  yet  al¬ 
most  without  exception  they  keep  open,  and  there  are 
not  enough  law  abiding  citizens  in  this  great  city  to 
compel  an  enforcement  of  the  law. 

Our  chief  commissioner  would  undertake  to  find  a 
man  who,  in  less  than  one  year,  if  properly  backed  up, 
would  close  every  saloon  in  this  city  on  Sundays. 

Where  are  the  men  who  will  back  him  up? 

They  are  required  not  to  sell  to  minors  without  a 
written  order  from  parents  or  guardians  sending  for  the 
beer  or  liquor.  And  yet  there  are  positively  thousands 
of  saloons  in  this  city  who  pay  not  the  slightest  atten¬ 
tion  to  this  requirement.  Children  of  tender  years  are 
seen  constantly,  daily,  hourly,  going  into  saloons  and 
bringing  therefrom  pails  of  beer. 


38 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


Such  an  item  in  the  columns  of  the  Chicago  press 
as  the  following,  is  unfortunately  not  rare.  It  exhibits 
the  fiendishness  of  this  traffic  in  one  of  its  most  hideous 
aspects: 

“  Francis  Stalke,  a  saloon-keeper  at  Manheim,  a 
small  town  about  one  mile  from  Franklin  Park,  was 
recently  made  defendant  in  a  $10,000  damage-suit 
brought  in  the  Superior  Court  by  N.  C.  Williams. 
Stalke  is  charged  with  selling  liquor  to  Mr.  Williams’ 
io-year-old  son,  Charles,  who  became  insensible  from 
intoxication,  nearly  losing  his  life  and  becoming  dan¬ 
gerously  ill.  The  story  related  by  Mr.  Sims,  Mr.  Wil¬ 
liams  attorney,  is  as  follows: 

“Charley  was  a  bright  lad  but  a  trifle  wild.  His 
father  is  a  carpenter  at  Franklin  Park,  in  moderate  cir¬ 
cumstances.  One  day  Charley  saw  a  drunken  man 
reeling  along  the  street,  singing  a  wild  song  and  appar¬ 
ently  very  happy.  Strangely  enough,  the  lad  deter¬ 
mined  to  emulate  this  delectable  example.  He  saved 
up  his  pennies,  and  two  weeks  ago,  having  accumulated 
enough  money,  he  started  out  to  satisfy  this  remarkable 
ambition.  He  went  to  Stalke’s  saloon,  a  mile  away, 
and  there  purchased  a  bottle  of  whisky.  Some  of  the 
fiery  stuff,  it  is  claimed,  the  boy  drank  in  the  saloon 
and  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  when  he  left  the 
place  he  was  already  half  crazed.  He  half  reeled,  half 
ran  away,  screaming  and  laughing  in  a  foolish,  maudlin 
way.  By  this  time  it  was  quite  dusk  and  the  boy  was 
lost.  He  staggered  around  for  awhile  in  a  neighbor¬ 
hood  that  is  deserted,  and  finally  dropped  down  across 
the  tracks  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad. 
Here  he  lay  for  two  hours.  Then  he  was  picked  up, 
still  insensible,  by  a  passer-by.  Ten  minutes  later  the 


•  '  *r 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES.  39 

fast  night  express  rushed  over  the  spot.  The  lad  was 
taken  home  and  in  his  pocket  was  found  a  bottle  half 
full  of  whisky.  He  was  very  ill  for  several  days  but 
finally  recovered.  Much  indignation  was  expressed 
against  Stalke  and  the  Citizens’  League  took  hold  of 
the  case,  procuring  the  saloon-keeper’s  arrest  for  selling 
liquor  to  a  minor.  He  pleaded  guilty  before  the  justice 
and  a  nominal  fine  was  imposed.  The  boy’s  father, 
however,  was  unwilling  to  let  the  matter  drop,  and  af¬ 
ter  consulting  Mr.  Sims  the  present  suit  was  brought.” 

They  are  forbidden  to  harbor  prostitutes,  and  yet 
one  saloon  in  this  city  keeps  regularly  all  the  way  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  five  vile  harlots,  some  of  them 
ready,  for  a  small  sum  of  money,  to  dance  in  a  perfectly 
nude  condition  before  a  company  of  men.  And  in  hosts 
of  the  saloons  special  arrangements  are  made  for  the 
accommodation  of  prostitutes  and  their  companions. 

To  show  how  saloons  go  hand  in  hand  with  pros¬ 
titution,  our  commissioners  report  that  on  every  hand 
in  scores  of  saloons  there  are  private  compartments  in 
which  men  and  women  go  and  sit,  drinking  beer,  wine 
or  spirits,  and  where,  after  the  waiter  has  left  the  room, 
it  may  be  locked  and  every  kind  of  evil  perpetrated. 

It  is  a  common  thing  for  the  prostitutes  met  on  the 
streets  to  ask  the  man  they  stop  to  go  with  them  to  a 
saloon  to  drink  beer.  “They  will  go  into  one  of  these 
compartments  and  have  a  good  time,  and  all  it  shall  cost 
him  shall  be  the  beer.”  Once  get  the  victim  to  drink¬ 
ing,  and  alone  in  one  of  these  places,  he  is  sure  to  be 
fleeced.  They  will  pick  his  pocket  and  steal  from  him 
all  they  can,  and  when  he  is  squeezed  as  dry  as  they 
alone  know  how  to  squeeze,  he  is  led  out  by  some  dark 
alley  and  thrown  into  the  gutter,  or  left  there  to  be 


40 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


finally  kicked  out  by  the  “ bruiser”  of  the  saloon. 

These  beer  halls  and  such  like  vile  dens  work  hand 
in  hand  with  the  prostitutes.  When  a  young  fellow  is 
growing  “mellow”  it  is  a  common  thing  for  one  of  the 
waiters  to  set  a  girl  upon  him;  and  the  other  night  on 
Clark  Street,  within  a  block  of  the  postoffice,  a  courte¬ 
san  was  seen  propping  up  and  dragging  along  a  young 
man — apparently  a  respectable  clerk,  or  something  of 
the  kind — who,  however,  was  completely  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  liquor,  and  who  had  been  brought  by  her  out 
of  one  of  these  dens  of  infamy.  They  ascended  to  the 
rooms  of  one  of  the  European  hotels,  many  of  which 
are  nothing  but  vile  houses  of  assignation  where  pros¬ 
titutes  are  knowingly  harbored,  and  he  there  was  shut 
up  in  a  room  with  this  abandoned  female.  The  result 
it  needs  no  wisdom  to  foresee,  or  words  to  tell. 

Look  at  another  feature.  Why  don’t  our  dry- 
goods  merchants  and  grocerymen  place  up  a  sign 
on  their  establishments  like  most  of  the  whiskey 
and  beer  places  of  this  city  do,  informing  their  cus¬ 
tomers  that  here  is  the  “Ladies’  Entrance”  ?  Why  the 
need  of  a  separate  entrance  for  ladies?  Is  not  this  a 
tacit  acknowledgement,  and  yet  openly  flaunted  in  the 
face  of  the  world,  that  the  saloon  is  not  a  fit  place  for 
men  and  women  to  meet  together?  A  man  has  no  hes¬ 
itation  in  accompanying  his  wife,  or  having  her  accom¬ 
pany  him  to  any  other  business  place  in  this  city;  but 
in  the  saloon  she  must  take  one  entrance  and  the  hus¬ 
band  the  other. 

Why  is  this  ? 

It  is  because  there  is  not  a  single  saloon  in  this  city 
into  which  any  decent  woman  ought  to  set  foot.  The 
pictures  on  the  walls,  the  horrible  language  of  the  fre- 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


41 


quenters  of  the  place — profane,  vulgar,  smutty — the 
sights  too  often  seen,  even  in  the  best  regulated  places, 
for  whiskey  makes  men  drunk  and  worse  than  bestial 
in  the  “toniest”  as  well  as  the  “lowest”  of  saloons — all 
these  preclude  the  possibility  of  their  being  regarded  as 
fit  places  for  women. 

But  there  is  something  more  than  this  behind  the 
sign  “Ladies’  Entrance.”  Watch  the  “ladies”  who 
enter.  Watch  their  actions  within.  See  the  little  com¬ 
partments  and  the  easy  way  in  which  the  ladies  slide 
into  these  compartments  with  “gentlemen.”  See  the 
beverages  taken  in  by  the  discreet  waiter — see  his  nod 
and  suggestive  wink  toward  the  place  as  the  door  is 
shut;  listen,  and  you  will  often  hear  the  bolt  draw,  or 
the  lock  work.  Then — ah,  then! 

There  are  many  saloons  in  this  city  where  scenes 
of  this  kind  may  be  witnessed  all  the  time.  One  sa¬ 
loon,  and  it  is  by  no  means  the  only  one,  in  the  heart  of 
the  business  section  of  the  city,  seems  to  do  a  far  more 
thriving  trade  in  this  “  harlot  compartment  ”  portion  of 
the  house  than  over  the  bar,  and  its  trade  there  is  by 
no  means  inconsiderable.  As  one  stands  at  the  bar,  if 
he  turns  his  eyes  to  the  other  end  he  will  there  see  a 
passageway  leading  off  to  these  “  cubby  holes,”  and 
standing  so  as  to  be  in  full  view  are  a  couple  or  more 
of  women  who  by  lewd  looks,  winks,  gestures  and 
beckonings,  etc.,  lure  men  into  their  dens,  to  debase  and 
degrade  them  worse  than  they  were  before,  and  then 
send  them  out  slinking  by  a  “back  alley.” 

Yes,  just  look  at  the  side  doors  and  back  alleys  in 
and  out  of  which  the  frequenters  of  these  places  may 
slide. 

Come  here  -to  this  saloon.  This  is  the  front  en- 


42 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


trance.  Now  walk  around  the  corner — here  is  the  side 
entrance.  Let  us  enter.  There  is  a  man  who  has  spent 
his  money  and  is  too  “  mellow  ”  to  be  allowed  to  go  out 
at  either  of  these  entrances,  so  he  finds  an  exit  by  the 
alley,  which  brings  him  out  at  the  other  side  of  the 
block. 

Hell  itself  could  not  be  more  crafty  than  the  sa¬ 
loon-keeper  in  designing  plans  to  catch  the  unwary  and 
get  rid  of  him  when  he  has  lost  his  value — viz.:  his 
hard  cash. 

How  is  it  that  in  most  of  the  saloons  the  walls 
are  decorated  (?)  with  lascivious  pictures?  ‘‘An¬ 
dromache  Tied  to  the  Rocks,”  “Venus  at  the  Bath,” 
“  The  Sleeping  Courtesan,”  “  Our  Annette,”  and  other 
subjects,  the  chief  attraction  of  which  is  the  central  fig¬ 
ure  of  an  entirely  nude  woman?  Call  -them  works  of 
art  if  you  will,  they  provoke  comments  from  the  drink¬ 
ing  bystanders  that  must  make  devils  chuckle  with 
delight. 

In  one  of  the  most  “  respectable  ”  saloons  of  this 
city,  a  place  where  many  reputable  and  prominent  bus¬ 
iness  men  may  daily  be  seen,  there  are  pictures  that 
would  disgrace  the  vilest  bagnio  or  house-of  prostitution 
in  the  world. 

We  boldly  affirm,  and  defy  truthful  contradiction, 
that  the  saloon  is  hand  in  hand  with  the  brothel — the 
one  feeds  and  ministers  to  the  other.  They  are  twin 
monsters,  vying  with  each  other  to  see  which  can  lead 
the  greater  number  of  human  beings  to  destruction. 

Another  feature  of  the  saloon  business  must  not  be 
overlooked.  Whence  the  philanthropy  of  these  men 
who  advertise  “free  lunch  all  day,”  “  hot  soup  from  1 1 
to  2,”  “  an  egg  with  every  drink,”  “  red-hots  all  day,” 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


43 


and  all  this  generous  feeding  of  their  patrons?  The 
grocer  does  not  seek  to  induce  me  to  trade  with  him  by 
advertising  free  lunches,  nor  does  the  baker  and  candle¬ 
stick  maker.  How  is  it  the  beer-seller  is  so  generous 
and  philanthropic?  Let  us  look  and  see  if  we  can  find 
a  reason,  or  more  than  one  reason. 

First  of  all,  watch  the  bartender  as  he  draws  the 
beer.  One  of  our  commissioners  counted  the  number 
of  drinks  drawn  from  a  half  barrel  and  counted  261, 
and  the  barrel  was  on  tap  and  had  been  drawn  from  be¬ 
fore  he  began  to  count.  In  a  conversation  with  the 
barkeeper  he  asked  how  much  the  barrel  held,  and  was 
told  that  this  was  but  a  half  barrel  and  contained  sixteen 
gallons. 

“  And  how  many  drinks  do  you  suppose  you  can 
get  from  half  a  barrel?  ” 

“  Oh,  I  haven’t  any  idea!  I  couldn’t  tell  you  at 

all!” 

“  Can’t  you  give  a  rough  kind  of  a  guess?  You’ve 
been  at  this  business  a  long  time,  I  should  imagine,  and 
surely  you  can  give  me  some  kind  of  an  idea.” 

After  figuring  awhile  the  answer  was:  “Well, 
it’ll  be  about  560  drinks!” 

Here  was  figuring  with  a  vengeance.  Had  we 
ever  ventured  such  a  statement  we  should  have  been 
charged  with  the  grossest  exaggeration  and  wildest  ex¬ 
travagance.  So  to  bring  the  matter  to  reasonable  com¬ 
pass,  suppose  we  estimate  that  instead  of  560  there  were 
but  360  drinks  in  the  half  barrel.  At  5  cents  a  drink 
that  is  a  total  of  $  1 8  for  a  half  barrel,  or  $36  for  the  full 
32  gallon  barrel. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  these  are  the  figures 
upon  which  our  former  estimates  were  based,  but  are 


44 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


just  given  to  show  how  a  skillful  beer-drawer  can  draw 
in  the  nickels  by  handing  out  the  froth  with  a  little 
basis  of  beer  in  the  glass,  so  that  there  is  plenty  of  mar¬ 
gin  for  free  lunches  when  the  drinks  are  thus  served. 

What  intelligent  man  would  submit  to  be  thus 
swindled  in  buying  sugar  or  flour,  or  any  of  the  neces¬ 
saries  of  life?  But  in  the  hands  of  the  saloon-keeper  he 
is  blind  and  dumb.  His  “manliness”  will  not  allow 
him  to  protest  against  this  open  robbery  on  the  part  of 
the  well  dressed,  white-aproned,  sleek-faced  gentleman 
(  ?)  behind  the  bar,  whose  immaculate,  diamond-studded 
shirt-front  would  lead  one  instinctively  to  exclaim, 
u  Even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like 
one  of  these!”  He  is  always  smooth-voiced  and  full  of 
pleasant  words  for  every  person,  provided  they  have 
the  cash  to  spend  for  “  beverages,”  but ,  let  the  poor, 
besotted  wretch  who  has  lost  all  his  cash  and  has  noth¬ 
ing  left  but  his  insatiable  appetite  for  alcohol  dare  to 
show  his  face,  and  at  once  the  scene  changes. 

Many  of  the  saloons  are  owned  by  the  large  brew¬ 
ers,  whose  power  and  influence  render  it  an  easy  thing 
to  secure  a  license  for  any  abandoned  scoundrel  who 
will  be  a  willing  tool  in  their  hands.  Thus  these 
brewer-owned  saloons  become  the  hatching  places  for 
all  kinds  of  foul  conspiracies,  political  and  otherwise, 

0 

from  eggs  sown  there  by  the  men  in  power — the  brew¬ 
ers — who  own  the  keepers,  body,  mind  and  soul.  And 
these  brewers  often  pose  as  public  benefactors.  They 
point  with  pride  to  their  great  charities  and  the  like, 
forgetful  of  the  fact  that  to  the  clear-eyed  they  stand 
as  worse  than  highway  robbers  posing  in  the  guise  of 
philanthropists.  With  both  hands,  364  days  in  the  year, 
they  rob  and  pillage  from  their  victims,  who  are  so 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


45 


Olinded  by  their  devilish  arts  as  to  be  willing  to  be  thus 
plundered — not  only,  alas!  of  money,  but  of  health,  po¬ 
sition,  character,  honor  and  religion.  Then  on  the 
365th  day  they  pose  as  sweet  angels  of  charity  and 
point  with  glowing  pride  to  their  benevolent  acts. 

Other  men,  not  content  with  the  wicked  revenues 
gained  from  the  demoralization  of  good  citizens  in  one 
saloon,  establish  several  of  their  branch  establishments 
of  hell  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  thus  by  multi¬ 
plying  their  traps  capture  more  of  the  unwary. 

There  is  a  saloon  under  one  of  the  newspaper 
offices  of  this  city  where  one  night  about  fourteen 
boys  and  girls,  ages  varying  from  14  to  17,  were  seen 
to  enter.  The  girls  were  in  short  dresses,  and  the  boys 

X 

without  “down”  on  their  upper  lips.  The  keeper  of 
this  “  hole,”  it  is  said,  has  boasted  that  he  built  a  fine 
business  structure  in  Chicago  out  of  the  “  froth  ”  on  the 
beer  he  served. 

And  we  are  told  that  when  the  newspaper  propri¬ 
etors  took  possession  of  the  offices  above  they  offered 
him  a  bonus, of  $10,000  to  relinquish  his  lease,  but  as  it 
covers  a  period  extending  past  the  time  of  the  World’s 
Fair,  he  said  he  would  not  dispose  of  it  for  less  than  a 
sum  which  to  thousands  of  men  in  Chicago  would  be  a 
fortune. 

In  a  recent  number  of  Our  Day ,  of  which  Joseph 
Cook,  the  indefatigable  reformer,  is  editor,  appeared 
the  following: 

“  Without  considering  the  saloon  in  connection  with  American 
politics,  its  social  influence  is  enough  to  condemn  it  forever.  As  a 
class,  saloon-keepers  in  our  country  are  of  the  lowest  characters. 
They  are  impure,  profane,  irreligious,  vulgar,  and  often  criminal; 
and  their  saloons  are  like  themselves.  In  no  place,  as  here — out¬ 
side  of  the  bagnio — is  the  atmosphere  so  saturated  with  all  that  is 


46 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


vicious  and  corrupting.  Here  one  meets  with  the  world’s  filthiest 
characters,  filthiest  pictures,  and  filthiest  conversation,  because  here 
congregate  society’s  filthiest  souls.  The  American  saloon  is  the 
rendezvous  of  thieves,  and  cut-throats,  and  gamblers.  Bummers, 
tramps,  dead  beats  throng  round  them  as  flies  around  the  paper  pre¬ 
pared  for  their  destruction.  Here  it  is  are  planned  our  prize-fights. 
Here  come  the  distributers  of  obscene  literature  to  ply  their  wretched 
traffic;  here  come  the  ‘  boodlers  ’  to  arrange  for  the  corruption  of  our 
elections — here  in  these  ‘Pest  Holes’  of  infamy.  Yet  it  is  a  la¬ 
mentable  fact  that  the  principle  patrons  of  the  saloon  are  young 
men.  Into  a  single  saloon  in  Cincinnati,  passed  252  men  within  an 
hour — 236  of  whom  were  young  men.  In  New  Albany,  Indiana, 
in  one  hour  and  a  half,  on  a  certain  evening,  1,109  persons  entered 
19  of  76  saloons,  983  of  whom  were  young  men  and  boys.  C.  H. 
Yatman  stood  on  the  streets  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  one  day,  and  in  five 
minutes  counted  62  young  men  going  into  one  saloon.  He  passed 

his  watch  to  a  friend  and  asked  him  to  stand  and  count  for  thirty 

» 

minutes.  In  that  time  592  entered  the  saloon,  most  of  them  beir.g 
young  men.  Yet  this  was  only  one  of  hundreds  of  saloons  in  that 
city.  The  two  following  are  from  Richard  Morse’s  ‘  Young  Men  of 
our  Cities’:  ‘A  city  of  17,000  population,  3,000  young  men; 
1,021,  over  one-fourth,  entered  49  saloons  in  one  hour  one  Saturday 
night.’  ‘  A  city  of  38,000  population,  6,000  young  men  ;  on  a  cer¬ 
tain  Saturday  evening  10  per  cent,  of  them  visited  seven  of  the  128 
saloons.  ’ 

“In  Milwaukee  on  a  certain  evening,  468  persons  entered  a  sin¬ 
gle  saloon,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  young  men  and  boys.” 

We  can  heartily  endorse  all  that  is  here  said  against 
the  saloon.  The  sad  facts  stated  of  the  effect  upon  young 
men  can  be  equalled  by  Chicago  statistics,  for  here,  as 
elsewhere,  the  hellish  saloon  has  a  fearful  influence  over 
our  young  men. 

There  are  many  regions  of  Chicago  which  are 
saloon-infested  to  such  an  extent  that  if  one  were  to  give 
a  tabulated  list  of  the  houses  of  business  in  order  as  they 
occur,  it  would  be  somewhat  in  this  style:  Saloon, 
dry-goods,  bakery,  saloon,  tobacco  and  cigars,  grocery, 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


47 


saloon,  dime  museum,  saloon,  restaurant,  saloon, 
shoe  store,  tobacco  and  cigars,  saloon,  ticket  office, 
saloon,  saloon,  saloon,  concert  hall,  saloon,  sa¬ 
loon,  restaurant,  saloon,  tobacco  and  cigars,  saloon, 
theater,  saloon,  tobacco  and  cigars. 

On  State  Street,  for  instance,  from  Van  Buren  to 
the  Twelfth  Street  viaduct,  there  are  sixty-six  (66) 
saloons.  On  Van  Buren,  from  State  to  Fifth  Avenue, 
twenty-two  (22).  On  Fourth  Avenue,  in  two 
blocks,  there  are  twenty-five  (25).  On  Dearborn 
Street,  twenty-five  (25)  within  two  blocks.  On 
Madison  Street,  from  State  Street  to  Halstead,  there 
are  seventy-three  (73).  On  Clark,  from  Polk  to 
V an  Buren,  two  blocks,  fifty-two  (  52  ).  On  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue,  from  39th  to  22nd,  sixty-six  (66). 
On  Wabash  Avenue,  from  22nd  to  Jackson  Street, 
thirty-five  (35).  On  Halstead,  from  Lake  to  Blue 
Island*  Avenue,  seventy-six  (76). 

Now  these  are  merely  given  as  samples.  The  dis¬ 
tricts  have  not  been  especially  chosen.  There  may  be 
other  places  equally  bad,  or  worse.  If  any  reader  will 
sit  and  calmly  contemplate  what  this  fearful  array  of 
saloons — pestiferous  distributers  of  moral,  mental  and 
physical  ruin — really  means,  he  will  find  such  cause  for 
genuine  alarm  as  to  lead  him,  at  least,  to  try  and  do 
something  to  crush  the  whole  saloon  system. 

We  have  shown  that  there  are  5,600  saloons  in  this 
city.  Look  at  the  power  in  politics  such  figures  repre¬ 
sent.  Each  saloon  will  average  three  votes — one  for 
the  proprietor  and  two  for  assistants — three  in  all.  This 
gives  a  total  voting  power  of  16,800.  Sixteen  thou¬ 
sand  eight  hundred  votes  cast  as  the  vote  of  one 
man  for  one  purpose,  and  that  purpose  the  protection  of 


48 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


the  saloon.  These  men  have  no  other  politics  than  the 
perpetuation  of  their  own  unholy  traffic,  and  in  deter¬ 
mining  the  fitness  of  any  man  in  this  city  who  wishes 
office,  the  first,  and  about  the  only  question  they  ask  is, 
“  Is  he  a  friend  to  the  saloon?  If  he  is,  vote  him  in! 
If  he  is  not,  vote  him  out!”  And  if  you  add  to  this 
number  all  those  who  are  in  trades  connected  with  the 
saloon,  and  therefore  in  a  measure  in  sympathy  with  it, 
and  dependent  upon  it,  there  is  such  a  vast  voting  power 
under  the  control  of  the  business  that  there  is  no  won¬ 
der  it  is  found  almost  impossible  to  cope  with  it. 

We  hear  much  of  men  being  victims  to  drink,  but, 
alas!  in  this  Christian  city  there  are  many  cases  that 
come  under  the  observation  of  those  who  care  to  look 
for  them,  of  women  who  are  as  absolutely  enslaved 
by  it  as  ever  negro  was  enslaved  in  the  South. 

Last  year,  in  Chicago  alone,  thirty-two  girls  and 
women  attempted  suicide  in  the  station  houses.  Drink 
and  debauchery  had  rendered  life  not  worth  the  attempt 
of  living  to  them,  and  it  was  only  by  the  kind  and  lov¬ 
ing  attention  of  the  police  matrons  and  others  that  they 
were  spared  to  endeavor  to  reform.  This  tells  its  own 
story. 

Few  girls  who  indulge  in  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  know  the  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposing 
themselves.  It  is  not  seldom,  but  often,  that  scenes  like 
that  described  by  Rudyard  Kipling  occur,  and  not  only 
in  Buffalo,  but  in  Chicago.  He  saw  two  respectable 
looking,  refined  young  ladies,  enter  a  beer-hall  in  the 
company  of  two  young  gentlemen,  and  he  saw  them  all 
leave  in  a  state  of  beastly  intoxication.  This  same  fear¬ 
ful  thing  has  been  seen  in  Chicago  many  times,  and 
when  a  girl  is  in  such  a  condition  she  is  a  prey  to  those 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


49 


who  seek  her  virtue.  If  she  is  alone,  human  blood- 
hoods  will  track  her  until  she  is  where  they  may  devour 
her,  and  truly  death  would  be  preferable  to  that  to 
which  such  hideous  fiends  subject  her. 

In  talking  with  one  woman  who  has  been  before  the 
magistrates  of  Chicago  over  and  over  again  for  drunk¬ 
enness,  and  whose  name  is  familiar  to  every  newspaper 
man  in  the  city,  our  commissioner  learned  the  fact  that 
the  woman  has  fought  desperately  against  her  enslav¬ 
ing  habit,  and  the  last  time  she  came  from  prison  she 
said  that  when  arrested  she  was  c<  crazy,  angry,  despair¬ 
ing,  desperate,  and  had  thoroughly  made  up  her  mind 
to  enter  a  house  of  prostitution,  for  she  could  no  longer 
struggle;  she  must  sink,  sink,  sink!”  But  kind  friends 
met  her  at  that  time,  cared  for  her,  and  now  she  is  at 
work  on  a  farm  outside  of  the  city,  away  from  its  temp¬ 
tations  and  in  the  home  of  those  who  will  lovingly  help 
her  battle  with  the  fierce  fires  of  desire  which  consume 
her. 

Here  is  a  case  of  degradation  and  reform  well 
known  to  some  people  in  this  city.  A  lady,  daughter 
of  a  very  eminent  jurist — a  prominent  educator  in  the 
east — her  family  of  the  upper  circles  in  Chicago  and  as 
well  connected  as  any  person  in  the  city  to-day,  fell  into 
the  whirlpool  of  drunkenness.  She  went  deeper  and 
deeper  until  she  became  a  regular  street  drunkard,  vile 
and  filthy  and  not  fit  to  be  seen.  Her  friends  all  cast 
her  off,  but  one  sister,  who  stood  by  her  until  her  hus¬ 
band  positively  forbade  his  wife  to  receive  the  outcast 
at  his  house.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  her  to  be 
in  the  hands  of  the  police,  and  on  the  last  occasion  of  her 
arrest  a  friend  of  her  father’s,  the  Judge,  went  to  the 
judge  who  was  to  hear  her  case,  and  stating  the  matter 


50 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


to  him  asked  that  she  be  sent  to  the  House  of  the  Good 
Shepherd.  When  the  poor  drunkard  was  informed  by 
the  lieutenant  where  she  was  to  be  taken  she  most  pos¬ 
itively  refused  to  go  there,  on  the  ground  that  she  was 
educated  a  Protestant,  and  said  she  would  prefer  being 
sent  to  the  Bridewell.  Her  wish  was  acceded  to,  and 
whilst  she  was  in  prison  she  was  led  to  resolve  to  lead  a 
new  life.  On  her  release  she  proved  her  resolve,  and 
for  years  has  been  a  most  earnest  worker  for  the  reform 
of  others.  She  has  regained  her  lost  position  and  her 
honored  station,  and  although  she  never  seeks  to  move 
in  society  circles,  she  knows  her  talents  and  accomplish¬ 
ments,  now  that  she  is  perfectly  reformed,  give  her  the 
freedom  of  these  circles  should  she  ever  wish  to  enter 
them.  But  she  is  more  happy  in  doing  good  to  those 
who  are  in  degradation  and  sin,  than  in  such  a  butterfly 
existence,  and  in  that  work  she  prefers  to  live,  and  will 
undoubtedly  die. 

In  one  of  the  down-town  restaurants  some  month 
ago  two  “  society  ladies  ”  sat  in  a  “  private  compart¬ 
ment  ”  taking  lunch.  Their  menu,  if  written,  would 
have  been : 

Wine, 

Beer, 

Wine, 

More  Wine, 

And  Nothing  More. 

On  the  occasion  of  their  discovery  by  our  commis¬ 
sioner  the  cheque  signed  in  payment  was  for  $4.50. 
They  began  by  going  there  once  every  two  weeks. 
At  the  time  when  this  was  written  they  were  to  be 
found  in  this  ^respectable”  restaurant  (connected, 
however,  with  a  saloon)  twice  each  week. 

The  above  is  a  solitary  instance  of  hundreds  of  such 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


51 


cases  occurring  in  Chicago  from  week  to  week,  and 
they  are  not  confined  to  one  class  alone.  It  is  not  only 
those  who  are  born  in,  and  surrounded  by,  circum¬ 
stances  of  poverty  and  degradation,  but  amongst  that 
class  of  American  women — too  common,  alas!  in  Chi¬ 
cago — whose  love  of  dress  and  finery,  frivolity  and  ex¬ 
citement,  are  the  natural  result  of  a  stifling  of  the  God- 
given  instincts  of  motherhood.  They  are  not,  nor  do 
they  wish  to  be,  and  furthermore  they  are  absolutely 
determined  that  they  shall  not  be — mothers.  Hence, 
being  free  from  the  duties  of  home  and  maternity,  they 
are  driven  to  seek  “ pleasure”  in  a  covert  manner  by 
wooing  the  wine-cup  under  the  pretense  of  “taking 
lunch  with  a  friend  down  town.”  From  the  excite¬ 
ment  of  the  wine-cup  is  but  a  step  to  “flirting”  with 
the  “  handsome  man,”  who  is  ever  alert  for  just  such 
prey.  The  flirting  naturally  leads  to  the  “appoint¬ 
ment” — then  more  wine — the  fall,  which  means  the  de¬ 
struction  of  marital  happiness,  the  utter  ruin  of  the 
home,  and  the  ever-grinding  Chicago  divorce  mill  com¬ 
pletes  the  first  act  of  this  domestic  tragedy. 

That  men  are  also  guilty  of  breaches  of  marital 
faith  under  the  guise  of  “business  appointments  down 
town,”  is  so  true  and  so  well  known  as  to  call  forth  lit¬ 
tle  comment,  but,  strange  to  say,  the  world  covers  a 
man  with  the  mantle  of  charity,  whilst  upon  the  woman 
it  pours  out  the  vials  of  its  wrath  in  strongest  condem¬ 
nation  and  dooms  her  to  social  ostracism. 

What  must  be  the  result  of  such  demoralizing  hab¬ 
its?  The  mothers  of  this  city  are  not  only  ruining  their 
own  happiness  and  that  of  their  families,  but  they  are 
entailing  fearful  consequences  upon  their  children. 
Many  boys  and  gir-Is  are  not  only  born  under  such  con- 


52 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


ditions,  but  thev  suck  in  with  their  mothers’  milk  the 
desire  for  alcoholic  stimulants,  and  thus  a  new  genera¬ 
tion  of  drunkards  is  made. 

It  is  soon  easy  to  discover  that  the  bottle  business 
of  the  wine  and  liquor,  as  well  as  of  the  beer,  interests 
is  on  the  increase,  and  as  this  trade  grows,  so  in  propor¬ 
tion  grows  the  breaking  up  of  family  life,  the  degrad¬ 
ing  of  manhood,  the  breaking  down  of  womanly  virtue 
and  the  destruction  of  all  that  is  pure,  noble  and  good 
in  our  youth. 

One  of  the  most  demoralizing  forms  of  the  saloon 
business  in  its  relation  to  woman  is  the  “beer  garden.” 
Numbers  of  these  “  gardens  ”  dot  the  city,  and  in  sum¬ 
mer  time  boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  women  are 
enticed  into  them  by  the  music  and  the  promise  of 
dancing,  singing,  romping  and  pleasant  out-door  amuse¬ 
ment.  After  drinking  the  alcoholic  beverages  provided 
in  these  places,  conscience  and  purity  are  readily 
drugged  into  insensibility;  and  then,  passion  and  desire 
inflamed  and  clamorous,  the  devil’s  most  seductive  temp¬ 
tation,  comes  before  them,  and,  too  often,  the  night  of 
the  visit  to  the  beer  garden  ends  in  the  debauch  of  the 
house  of  assignation,  from  whence  few  girls  ever  emerge 
to  any  other  than  a  life  of  continuous  unchastity.  Ev¬ 
ery  beer  garden  in  Chicago  is  an  open  foe  to  the  honor 
of  every  young  man,  and  the  purity  of  every  young  girl 
who  comes  within  reach  of  its  influence. 

What  the  saloon  has  done  and  is  now  doing  in  Chi¬ 
cago,  and  elsewhere,  is  well  expressed  by  the  eloquent 
words  of  an  anonymous  writer: 

“The  saloon  cuts  down  youth  in  its  vigor,  manhood  in  its 
strength,  and  age  in  its  weakness. 

“It  breaks  the  father’s  heart,  bereaves  the  doting  mother,  ex- 


SALOONS  AND  THEIR  HABITUES. 


53 


tinguishes  natural  affections,  erases  conjugal  love,  blots  out  filial  at¬ 
tachments,  and  blasts  parental  hopes,  and  brings  down  mourning 
age  in  sorrow  to  the  grave. 

“  It  produces  weakness,  not  strength  ;  sickness,  not  health  ; 
death,  not  life. 

“  It  makes  wives,  widows;  children,  orphans;  fathers,  fiends — 
and  all  of  them  paupers  and  beggars. 

“  It  feeds  rheumatism,  nurses  gout,  welcomes  epidemics,  in¬ 
vites  cholera,  imparts  pestilence  and  embraces  consumption. 

“  It  covers  the  land  with  idleness,  misery  and  crime. 

“It  fills  your  jails,  supplies  your  almshouses  and  demands  your 
asylums. 

“It  engenders  controversies,  fosters  quarrels  and  cherishes 
riots. 

“  It  crowds  your  penitentiaries,  and  furnishes  victims  to  your 
scaffolds. 

“  It  is  the  life-blood  of  the  gambler,  the  element  of  the  burglar, 
the  prop  of  the  highwayman,  and  the  support  of  the  midnight  incen¬ 
diary. 

“It  countenances  the  liar,  respects  the  thier,  esteems  the  blas¬ 
phemer. 

“It  violates  obligations,  reverences  fraud,  honors  infamy. 

“  It  defames  benevolence,  hates  love,  scorns  virtue  and  slan¬ 
ders  innocence. 

“  It  incites  the  father  to  butcher  his  helpless  offspring  ;  helps 
the  husband  to  massacre  his  wife,  and  the  child  to  grind  the  parri¬ 
cidal  axe. 

“  It  burns  up  men,  consumes  women,  detests  life,  curses  God 
und  despises  Heaven. 

“It  suborns  witnesses,  nurses  perjury,  defiles  the  jury-box,  and 
stains  the  judicial  ermine. 

“It  degrades  the  citizen,  debases  the  legislature,  dishonors  the 
statesman,  and  disarms  the  patriot . 

“  It  brings  shame,  not  honor ;  terror,  not  safety  ;  despair,  not 
hope  ;  misery,  not  happiness  ;  and  with  the  malevolence  of  a  fiend 
it  calmly  surveys  its  frightful  desolation — and,  unsatisfied  with  its 
havoc,  it  poisons  felicity,  kills  peace,  ruins  morals,  blights  confi¬ 
dence,  slays  reputation,  and  wipes  out  national  honor ;  then  curses 
the  world  and  laughs  at  its  ruin. 

“It  does  all  that  and  more — it  murders  the  soul. 

“  It  is  the  sum  of  all  villainies,  the  father  of  all  crimes,  the 
mother  of  all  abomination,  the  devil’s  best  friend,  and  God’s  worst 
enemy.  ° 


Theaters ,  Concert  Halls 
,  and  Museums . 


“The  devil  hath  power  to  assume  a  pleasing  shape.” 

—  Shakespeare. 

“  He  must  have  a  long  spoon  that  must  eat  with  the 
devil.”  — Shakespeare . 

AT  the  outset  of  this  chapter  let  it  be  clearly  un¬ 
derstood  that  with  the  managers  of  the  better 
class  of  theaters,  concert  halls  and  museums,  we 

i 

have  no  controversy.  They  are  striving  to  entertain 
*tnd  elevate  their  patrons,  and  are  fairly  successful. 
They  ought  to  be  encouraged.  Their  work  in  this 
direction  is  commended  by  a  large  section  of  the  peo¬ 
ple,  many  of  them  church-goers  and  professing  Chris¬ 
tians. 

But  these  better-class  places  in  Chicago  can  be 
counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  or,  to  be  fully  gen¬ 
erous,  on  those  of  both  hands. 

And  what  of  the  rest? 

The  entertainments  provided  therein  are  a  disgrace 
to  the  city.  The  demoralization  that  flows  from  the 
abominable  scenes  enacted  upon  the  stage  to  the  large 
crowd  of  boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  women,  who 
nightly  attend  the  theaters,  can  never  be  estimated. 
And  this  is  not  the  narrow  opinion  of  those  who  are 

54 


THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS.  55 


church-goers  and  who  know  little  of  the  stage.  The 
statements  of  our  commissioners  are  borne  out  in  most 
emphatic  language  by  such  an  eminent  actor  as  Mr. 
John  Gilbert,  who,  in  his  article  in  the  North  Ameri¬ 
can  Review ,”  thus  speaks  of  the  theater.  Every  word, 
and  much  stronger  words,  can,  with  perfect  justice,  be 
applied  to  the  Chicago  theater: 

“I  believe  the  present  condition  of  the  drama,  both  from  a 
moral  and  an  artistic  point  of  view,  to  be  a  subject  for  regret.  A 
large  number  of  our  theaters  are  managed  by  speculators  who  have 
no  love  for  true  art,  and  who,  in  the  production  of  ‘  attractions,’  con¬ 
sider  only  the  question  of  dollars  and  cents.  With  that  class  it 
seems  to  matter  little  whether  a  play  has  any  literary  merit;  it  is 
sufficient  if  it  is  ‘  sensational  ’  and  full  of  ‘  startling  situations.’  Many 
of  the  plays  that  have  been  adapted  from  the  French  are  open  to  the 
severest  criticism  or  the  ground  of  immorality.  I  say,  as  an  actor, 
without  any  hesitation,  that  such  plays  have  a  very  bad  influence  on 
nearly  all  people,  especially  the  young.  Some  argue  that,  even  in 
these  productions,  vice  is  punished  in  the  end ;  but  when  a  whole 
play  is  filled  with  amorous  intrigue,  and  fairly  bristles  with  conjugal 
infidelity — when,  in  short,  all  the  characters  are  infamous,  there  is 
no  question  in  my  mind  but  that  its  influence  is  bad.” 

Our  commissioners  report  that  many  boys  and  girls 
now  in  prison  cells,  learned  their  first  lessons  of  the 
vices  and  crimes  that  have  imprisoned  them,  in  the  the¬ 
ater.  By  the  constant  witnessing  of  such  scenes  upon 
the  stage  they  became  familiarized  with  vice  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  began  to  exert  an  unconscious  influence 
upon  them,  to  their  moral  deterioration,  and  finally  cul¬ 
minated  in  their  ruin. 

There  seems  to  be  no  restriction  as  to  the  age  of 
the  children  allowed  to  see  the  most  degrading  and  dis¬ 
gusting  of  performances,  and  in  the  lowest  of  these 
places  it  is  often  astonishing  and  pitiful  to  see  the  num*- 
ber  of  young  boys  and  girls  who  are  present. 


56  THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS. 


That  “all  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull 
boy  ”  is  as  true  as  it  is  old  will  be  readily  conceded,  but 
it  does  seem  an  awful  thing  that  in  this  great,  church- 
dotted  city  of  Chicago  the  chief  place  of  attraction  to 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  its  young  people  is  the 
low  theater. 

In  their  advertising  the  managers  clearly  reveal 
their  diabolical  plans  by  pandering  to  all  that  is  lustful 
in  human  nature.  “  The  nude  in  art,”  also  “  the  nuae 
in  nature,”  are  their  chief  attractions.  The  walls  of  the 
city  are  placarded  with  announcements  that  call  your 
attention  to 

“Latest  Parisian  Dancers.” 

“  Grecian  Beauties.” 

“Oriental  Beauties.” 

“Gaiety  Girls. ’’ 

“20  Beautiful  Women.” 

“  Live  Statuary.” 

“Creole  Beauties, ”  etc.,  etc. 

To  make  money,  at  any  and  all  hazards,  is  the  first 
and  only  object  of  the  proprietors,  and  to  secure  this 
they  sink  below  the  level  of  the  brutes  in  the  character 
of  the  exhibitions  which  they  furnish  every  day  of  the 
year.  The  wonder  is  that  the  audiences  do  not  revolt 
at  these  disgusting  performances. 

Well  may  the  legislators  of  Minnesota  and  Penn¬ 
sylvania  desire  legislation  which  will  compel  women  to 
cover  their  nakedness,  and  managers  of  theaters  to  res¬ 
pect  the  decencies  of  civilized  society,  for  their  object 
seems  to  be  to  try  just  how  little  clothes  a  woman  may 
wear  in  a  stage  exhibition  without  subjecting  herself 
and  him  to  arrest — the  one  for  indecent  exposure  and 
the  other  for  permitting  it. 

Sunday  is  the  “  gala  day  ”  tor  these  damnable  vice 


THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS.  57 


schools.  Not  content  with  giving  lessons  in  criminality 
all  the  week,  and  throwing  in  an  extra  lesson  on  Satur¬ 
day,  they  are  so  anxious  to  educate  the  boys  and  girls 
to  become  vicious  and  criminal  that  they  have  two  “sess¬ 
ions  ”  on  Sunday,  one  in  the  afternoon  and  another  in 
the  evening.  At  the  latter  performances  it  is  a  common 
thing  to  see  on  the  outside  a  placard  bearing  the  legend, 
“  Standing  room  only.” 

The  services  of  the  churches  on  Sunday  are  never 
so  crowded  as  are  these  dens!  What  a  sight  it  would 
be  to  see  a  sign  at  the  door  of  the  churches,  “  Standing 
room  only.”  The  few  regular  attendants  would  be  al¬ 
most  paralyzed  by  such  a  notice,  for  a  crowded  congre¬ 
gation  is  the  exception  and  not  the  rule. 

The  concert  halls  of  Chicago  are  mostly  saloons 
and  houses  of  prostitution  in  disguise.  Men  and  women 
are  attracted  to  them  by  the  music,  and  before  long  the 
vile  influences  that  dwell  in  such  holes  take  hold  upon 
them  and  drag  them  into  the  fearful  vortex  of  dissipa¬ 
tion  and  sensuality.  The  music  is  the  bait  which  al¬ 
lures  the  victim  to  drink  and  lustful  pleasures.  The 
reports  of  our  commissioners,  who  went  at  different 
times  to  some  of  the  vilest  of  these  vile  dens  which  pro¬ 
fess  to  be  theaters,  but  are  concert  halls  and  saloons  as 
well,  are  here  given  in  extenso ,  so  that  the  people  of 
Chicago  may  definitely  know  what  exists  in  their  midst. 

These  reports  are  given  almost  without  alteration, 
and  the  first  one  is  by  a  prominent  clergyman,  well 
known  in  this  and  neighboring  cities: 

“  Speaking  of  the  dark  places  of  Chicago,  it  is  difficult  to  go 
amiss  of  them.  They  are  to  be  found  at  every  corner.  Some  dis¬ 
play  of  atrocious  crookedness  may  be  seen  on  nearly  every  street. 
But  some  of  these  places  are  so  foul,  the  manner  of  life — the  spirit 
in  which  things  are  done — in  these  dens,  is  so  akin  to  the  mind  of 


58  THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS. 


those  who  have  absolutely  rejected  all  light,  that  they  simply  beg¬ 
gar  description.  Sam  Jones,  in  trying  to  portray  the  perverseness 
of  human  character,  said  *  ‘  Men  are  like  some  of  the  sticks  in  the 

southern  wood — so  crooked  they  can’t  lie  still.’  And  surely,  in  the 
unrestfulness  of  wicked  plotting  and  planning  to  allure  men  and 
women  to  ruin,  there  are  those  in  Chicago  who  are  never  still. 

“On  the  busiest  thoroughfare  of  this  ceaselessly  busy  city  is  a 
thoroughly  advertised  theater,  where  every  square  inch  of  space 
from  basement  to  loft  is  devoted  to  the  basest  sort  of  vileness  and 
thievery. 

“Your  commissioner,  in  company  with  a  friend  and  fellow- 
worker,  paid  the  ‘  quarter  ’  demanded  and  entered  to  see  the  theatri¬ 
cal  performance.  As  we  entered  the  hall  it  was  almost  blue  with 
smoke,  and  it  required  considerable  grit  to  sit  down  by  the  side  of 
men  who  were  puffing  out  clouds  of  the  strong-smelling  vapors  as  if 
they  were  volcanoes  in  a  state  of  active  eruption. 

“We  listened  to  music,  furnished  by  a  string  band,  which  was 
almost  equal  to  that  given  on  the  street  corner  by  the  hand  organ. 
Gave  attentive  ear  to  the  so-called  speeches,  dialogues  and  songs 
rendered  by  men,  and  young,  undeveloped  girls.  Much  of  the  per¬ 
formance  had  a  double  meaning,  a  dirty  double-entendre ,  and  such 
‘  touches  of  life  ’  were  always  received  by  the  audience  with  great 
laughter  and  applause. 

“  This  performance  continued,  to  the  evident  delight  of  the  aud¬ 
itors,  for  nearly  two  hours.  When  it  closed  we  were  all  urged,  by 
one  who  had  learned  well  his  speech,  to  go  upstairs  into  the  concert 
hall,  where  a  free  concert  would  be  given.  A  large  number  crowded 
the  stairs  to  the  upper  rooms  and  we  followed.  Upon  entering  the 
room  we  found  that  instead  of  music  being  the  attraction,  beer,  wine 
and  women  were  the  centripetal  forces.  The  coarsest  of  Chicago’s 
prostitutes  were  there,  twenty  or  twenty-five  in  number,  soliciting 
men  to  go  to  the  bar  and  drink  with  them,  or  asking  them  if  they 
wouldn’t  like  to  go  down  into  the  basement,  buy  them  a  bottle  of 
beer  and  see  the  fancy  dance.  Questioning  elicited  the  fact  that  if 
we  each  paid  $1  for  a  bottle  of  beer  we  should  receive  tickets  to  see 
a  very  fancy  dance  called  the  can-can. 

“We  refused  to  be  escorted  by  the  ‘ladies,’  but  being  desirous 
of  seeing  the  dance,  walked  down  alone  into  the  basement,  and  see¬ 
ing  a  number  of  men  chaperoned  by  the  females  who  had  solicited 


THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS.  50 


ns,  enter  a  door,  we  followed.  It  led  into  a  passageway,  on  either 
side  of  which  were  a  number  of  compartments  containing  a  table  fo>* 
the  beer  and  glasses,  and  a  few  chairs.  A  man  who  evidently  acted 
as  a  ‘  watch-dog  ’  asked  us  ‘  did  we  wish  to  see  some  ladies  ?’  I  re¬ 
plied  ‘  we  wished  to  see  the  dance.’ 

“  ‘  Please  step  into  this  room,’  said  he,  ‘  and  I’ll  soon  send  some 
ladies  to  you.’ 

“  We  entered  the  room  and  in  a  few  moments  the  ‘  ladies  ’  ap¬ 
peared. 

“  Need  they  be  described? 

“They  urged  us  to  send  for  beer.  We  asked,  ‘Could  we  not 
see  the  dance  on  payment  of  the  dollar  without  ordering  the  beer?’ 

*  No !  The  only  way  to  see  the  dance  was  to  pay  the  dollar  for  the 
beer,  and  then  checks  wTould  be  given  to  us  which  would  admit  us  to 
the  can-can  room.’ 

“  We  paid  our  money.  The  beers  were  brought,  but  no  chocks, 
and  after  drinking  a  few  sips  the  ladies  left  us  to  find  more  congenial 
companions,  whilst  we,  to  use  the  slang  of  the  place,  were  left  to 
mull  over  the  loss  of  two  dollars  blown  in.’ 

“My  friend  went  to  the  ‘watch-dog’  and  enquired  for  the 
checks  for  the  dance-room.  He  was  told  to  go  and  enquire  up  stairs 
— which  meant  out  of  doors.  We  then  went  to  the  bar — for  there 
was  a  bar  in  the  basement  as  well  as  in  the  loft — and  once  again  the 
checks  were  demanded.  The  barkeeper,  the  cashier,  the  watch-dog 
and  finally  the  man  who  seemed  to  be  the  ‘  boss  ’  of  this  1  hell  ’  wer* 
questioned,  and  each  one  lied  and  shuffled  until  the  last  named  gen¬ 
tleman  (?)  gave  the  parting  shot,  which  was  to  the  effect  that  ‘there 
was  a  deal  of  crying  over  the  loss  of  a  great  big  dollar.’  Said  he, 
‘You  wasted  over  five  dollars  of  the  women’s  time  and  then  want 
your  dollar  back.’ 

“  We  retired,  acknowledging  ourselves  worsted  at  least  in  one 
attempt  at  sight-seeing. 

“You  will  say,  4  Good  enough  !  stay  away  from  such  places. 
It  served  you  right !  ’ 

“We  will  suffer  your  judgment  and  gladly  part  with  the  dollar, 
if  you  Christian  parents,  moralists  and  objectors  of  any  or  whatever 
name,  will  abandon  your  supercilious,  nonsensical  statements  that 
such  places  do  not  exist,  and  will  admit  that  your  boy  and  girl  may 
be  ruined  by  just  such  resorts.  They  are  here,  and  here  to  stay! 


60  THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS. 


Open  day  and  night,  Sunday  and  week-day,  all  the  year  round. 
Shameless  women  coming  from  every  corner  of  the  world  to  meet 
debauched  men,  whose  eyes  and  hearts  see,  and  want  only,  the  vilest 
of  vile  things. 

“  It  is  nauseating  in  the  extreme  to  think  of  and  write  about 
such  things,  but  how  shall  we  otherwise  work  for  the  salvation  of 
the  boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  women,  than  to  expose  these  hid¬ 
den  traps  which  are  constantly  gorged  with  living  prey — human 
souls — who  when  once  entrapped  are  in  danger  of  eternal  hell  ? 

“  Even  though  we  did  not  see  the  dance  we  saw  the  abominable 
and  devilish  character  of  the  place  ;  we  ourselves  were  deceived  and 
lied  to,  and  our  money  taken  from  us  under  false  pretences,  and  thus 
it  is  that  the  foul  fiend  prepares  men  for  hell  by  establishing  such 
training  schools  on  earth  as  the  one  wThose  horrors  we  have  but  feebly 
and  inadequately  described.” 

Not  satisfied  with  this  report,  knowing  that  only 
a  portion  of  the  iniquity  had  been  exposed,  we  sent  an¬ 
other  commissioner  who  was  more  successful,  vide  his 
subjoined  report: 

“  To  this  resort  a  visit  was  paid  on  a  Saturday  evening,  when  it 
was  supposed  everything  would  be  in  ‘full  blast.’  To  the  uninitiated 
the  outward  appearance  would  lead  to  the  belief  that  the  house  was 
a  legitimate  family  theatre  for  the  working  man,  but  a  visit  to  the 
interior  qnickly  dispelled  that  idea.  On  one  side  of  the  box  office 
was  conspicuously  displayed  a  large-lettered  sign,  which  conveyed 
the  intelligence  that  tickets  could  be  purchased  for  io,  15,  25,  35 
and  50  cents,  and  that  whole  boxes  could  be  obtained  for  $4.00, 
while  seats  in  the  same  boxes  could  be  had  for  75  cents.  In  this 
case  25  cents  were  paid  for  each  ticket,  and  our  party — consisting  of 
three  men — was  shown  through  the  front  door,  and  there  informed 
that  seats  were  on  the  second  floor.  Upstairs  we  went,  and  were 
met  by  an  usher,  who  politely  took  us  down  one  side  of  the  house, 
to  a  door  leading,  as  we  thought,  to  our  seats.  Handing  us  our 
checks,  he  informed  us  that  we  should  ‘  go  up  those  stairs  and 
go  along  that  passage-way.’  As  he  spoke,  he  threw  open  the  door, 
and  we  saw  the  stairs  he  had  reference  to.  There  were  about  five 
steps,  and  they  led  up  to  a  passage,  or,  it  might  properly  be  called  a 
scaffold.  This  was  on  a  level  with  the  tops  of  the  wings  belonging 


THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS.  6 1 


to  the  stage  scenes,  and  was  so  close  to  the  ceiling  that  a  person 
walking  through  could  not  do  so  in  an  upright  position.  At  the 
entrance  to  this  passage  we  were  met  by  two  girls,  in  decollette  cos¬ 
tume,  who  politely  invited  us,  as  follows:  ‘Won’t  you  come 
downstairs  and  see  the  can-can  danced  by  twelve  naked  young 
ladies?  ’  This  was  a  surprise  to  us.  To  be  thus  frankly  invited, 
without  any  solicitation  whatever  on  our  part,  to  witness  this  crown¬ 
ing  iniquity,  convinced  us  that  this  disgusting  performance  was  not 
a  special,  but  a  regular  part  of  the  programme.  As  our  mission  was 
one  of  inquiry,  we  consented,  and  were  trippingly  escorted  through 
the  passage  and  down  a  flight  of  stairs  to  the  basement.  This  local¬ 
ity  was  divided  into  several  rooms,  and  it  was  into  one  of  these 
rooms  that  we  were  ushered.  There  was  also  in  the  basement  a  bar, 
which  did  a  thriving  business,  having  as  its  patrons  the  habitues  of 
the  place  and  the  occasional  callers  and  sight-seers.  On  our  arrival 
in  the  room  in  which  the  dance  was  to  be  held,  we  found  some  ten 
or  twelve  men,  most  of  them  respectable  looking,  some  of  them 
young  and  some  of  them  old,  all  in  eager  expectancy  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  “ladies.”  Before  they  made  their  appearance,  how¬ 
ever,  beer  and  other  liquors  were  ordered,  and  then  the  collection 
was  taken  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  dancers.  It  seems  a  certain 
amount  of  money  was  required  to  be  in  hand  before  the  dancers 
would  appear.  (It  cost  us  in  all  $3.00  for  our  share  of  the  expense, 
not  including  our  admission  fee.)  As  soon  as  the  required  amount 
was  subscribed,  the  girls  trooped  in,  and  immediately  commenced 
their  exhibition,  which  consisted  of  a  most  disgusting  dance,  per¬ 
formed  by  over  a  dozen  girls  in  a  state  of  absolute  nudity.  Horror- 
stricken  though  we  were,  we  determined  to  see  the  thing  to  a  con¬ 
clusion,  and,  when  the  dance  was  over,  submitted,  with  the  rest  of 
those  present,  to  open  and  personal  solicitations  from  these  aban¬ 
doned  women. 

“  Aside  from  the  abominable  exhibition,  the  atmosphere  was 
close  enough  to  cause  the  stoutest  person  unused  to  it  to  turn  sick. 
Cigars  were  going  in  full  blast  and  tobacco  juice  was  freely  expecto¬ 
rated  over  all  parts  of  the  room .  When  nothing  more  could  be  ob¬ 
tained  from  the  visitors  they  were  requested  to  make  room  for  an¬ 
other  edition  of  innocents. 

“From  there  we  finally  found  our  way  to  the  theater  proper 
and  for  some  time  sat  and  looked  at  the  ‘  entertainment.’  From  the 


62  THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS. 


program  we  learned  that  the  first  part  would  be  the  ‘grand  opening,  ’ 
introducing  the  ‘  entire  company,’  and  when  the  curtain  finally  rolled 
up  we  had  the  pleasure  (?)  of  seeing  the  ‘entire  company,’  consisting 
of  seven  girls,  two  end-men  in  ‘cork,’  and  three  supernumeraries, 
seated  in  the  regulation  minstrel  style.  Here,  as  in  other  parts  of 
the  house,  cigars  and  pipes  were  freely  used,  and  also  chewing  to¬ 
bacco,  judging  from  the  condition  of  the  floor.  Intermingled  through¬ 
out  the  entire  program  was  a  mass  of  obscene  jokes  and  sayings,  and 
after  listening  for  an  hour  and  a  half  to  this  wretched  performance, 
it  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  we  bade  the  house  of  vice  flourish¬ 
ing  under  the  name  of  4  theater,’  adieu. 

Is  it  necessary  to  give  any  further  reports  upon  the 
character  of  these  places?  The  one  reported  upon  does 
not  stand  alone.  There  are  many  others  and  their  ex¬ 
treme  vileness  is  only  a  question  of  minor  degree. 

And  yet,  there  are  many  pure-minded  girls  who 
look  towards  the  stage  of  the  Chicago  theater  as  a  de¬ 
sirable  place  to  secure  a  livelihood.  Let  me  commend 
to  them  the  wise  words  of  Mr.  Clement  Scott,  a  lead¬ 
ing  theatrical  critic  of  London,  who,  in  answer  to  a 
question  on  this  line,  replied: 

“A  woman  may  take  a  header  into  a  whirlpool 
and  be  miraculously  saved — but  then,  she  may  be 
drowned.  If  a  girl  knows  how  to  take  care  of  herself 
she  can  go  anywhere;  but  I  should  be  sorry  to  expose 
modesty  to  the  shock  of  that  worst  kind  of  temptation, 
a  frivolous  disregard  of  womanly  purity.  One  out  of  a 
hundred  may  be  safe;  but  then  she  must  hear  things 
that  she  had  better  not  listen  to,  and  witness  things  she 
had  better  not  see.  In  every  class  of  life  women  are 
exposed  to  danger  and  temptations,  but  far  more  in  the 
theater  than  elsewhere.” 

We  charge  the  Chicago  theaters  with  being  the 
home  of  disgusting  nastiness;  and  the  faces  of  all  true 
men  and  women  should  be  resolutely  set  against  wit- 


THEATERS,  CONCERT  HALLS,  MUSEUMS.  63 


nessing  the  degrading  spectacles  that  they  generally 
present. 

In  the  “  museums,”  too,  all  that  is  horrible,  mon¬ 
strous  and  deformed  in  the  human  body,  is  exhibited. 
They  are  catering  to  the  morbid  curiosity  of  the  animal 
in  human  nature,  and  the  crowds  which  visit  them  are 
lured  there  by  specious  and  misleading  advertisements, 
cunningly  devised  to  draw  the  money  from  the  pockets 
of  the  ignorant  and  debased.  And  yet  in  Chicago  there 
is  scarcely  an  effort  being  made  in  a  corresponding  line, 
but  on  a  higher  plane,  to  counteract  the  evil. 

Another  feature  connected  with  all  these  atrocious 
places  is  the  close  proximity  that  exists  between  them 
and  the  brothel  and  saloon.  These  three  form  the  trinity 
of  the  devil,  and  where  one  is  you  are  sure  to  find  the 
other  two  not  far  away. 

Our  commissioners  are  a  unit  in  affirming  it  as  their 
solemn  conviction,  fearful  though  it  be  to  state  it — that 
the  evil  which  these  vile  places  of  Chicago  engender 
reaches  further  in  its  influence  than  all  the  good  which 
flows  from  all  the  sermons  preached  by  all  the  pastors 
of  all  the  churches  of  this  great  city. 


Immoral  Dives . 


“  We  do  not  despise  all  those  who  have  vices,  but  we 
despise  those  who  are  without  any  virtues.” 

— Rochefoucault . 

“  The  beastly  owners  and  frequenters  of  these  places 
think  and  speak  devilishness  only.  They  incredulously 
sneer  at  manly  virtue;  and  woman’s  ruin  affords  them  a 
theme  over  which  they  chuckle  in  devilish  glee  and  display 
their  highest  wit  and  choicest  humor.” 

UNDER  this  head  come  those  places  which  are 
neither  saloons,  theaters,  concert  halls,  museums 
or  houses  of  prostitution,  and  yet  have  no  other 
than  immoral  tendencies.  They  are  the  feeders,  the 
adjuncts  to  the  worst  of  the  other  places  of  this  class. 
Here  young  men  are  guided  to  the  houses  of  death; their 
imaginations  are  inflamed  by  vile  pictures;  their  minds 
made  the  receptacles  of  impure  thoughts. 

Our  commissioner  found  several  of  these  places. 
The  following  is  substantially  his  report: 

There  are  several  of  this  kind  of  dives  in  Chicago. 
On  one  of  the  main  streets,  where  thousands  of  people 
pass  in  a  day,  there  is  a  notice  of  a  show  for  “  gentle¬ 
men  only.”  The  announcements  clearly  state  that  “  the 
nude  in  art  ”  is  displayed.  There  are  “  Parisian  girls,’ 
opium  dreams,”  etc.,  but  it  would  take  a  depraved 
mind  indeed  that  could  fully  imagine  the  horrors  and 
bestiality  of  the  pictures  shown  within. 


IMMORAL  DIVES. 


65 

Picture  after  picture  of  nude  women  in  every  kind 
of  posture,  some  of  which  are  as  vilely  suggestive  as 
devilish  ingenuity  can  make  them.  Everything  to 
arouse  and  excite  to  the  highest  degree  the  fierce  fires 
of  passion  in  man,  is  cunningly  and  seductively  placed 
before  the  young  and  old  who  enter  this  veritable  ante¬ 
room  of  hell. 

Not  far  away  in  a  basement  is  another  place  even 
more  vile,  where  boys — lads  of  12,  14,  and  16  years — 
as  well  as  large  crowds  of  adults,  have  been  seen.  An 
electric  bell  is  kept  constantly  ringing  to  call  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  passer-by,  and  immediately  his  eyes  go  in 
search  of  the  bell  they  fall  upon  large  picture  frames 
full  of  photographs  of  perfectly  nude  women  in  the 
most  suggestive  positions. 

A  number  of  notices  entice  him  on;  it  is  free;  a 
sparring  match  occasionally  is  held;  sporting  books  are 
on  sale;  a  fine  collection  of  such  photographs  as  these; 
5,000  rare,  rich,  racy,  nude  and  comic  pictures  are  to  be 
seen  inside.  The  victim,  urged  on  by  the  passions 
aroused  within  him  by  the  sight  of  these  hellish  tempt- 
ings,  goes  inside.  Here,  as  he  looks  at  the  licentious 
pictures,  a  young  man  of  pleasant  address  steps  up  and 
tells  him  he  may  take  his  choice  for  15  cents. 

“Does  he  want  anything  spicy  to  read?”  Here  are 
all  the  latest  works  of  the  salacious  writers  of  Europe 
and  America. 

“  W ould  he  like  a  package  of  4  rich  ’  F rench  cards  ?” 

“No,  he  never  heard  of  them.  What  are  they?” 

“  Oh,  they’re  transparent  playing  cards,  which, 
when  you  hold  them  up  to  the  light  show  lewd  men 
and  women  in  a  nude  condition  in  all  kinds  of  attitudes. 


66 


IMMORAL  DIVES. 


A  package  is  on  the  table  labeled  exactly  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 


* 


NEW  YORK  RACY  PACKAGE. 


* 


Don’t  buy  this  unless  you  want  the 


c/5 

£ 

a 

u 

> 

r— < 

i— i 

£ 

O 


RICHEST  PACKAGE  EVER  SOLD  FOR 

50  CENTS. 

Contains  all  the  following  spicy  pieces:  Adven¬ 
tures  of  a  newly  married  couple,  or  their  wedding 
night  secrets.  A  bashful  man’s  experience  on  his 
wedding  night.  The  nuptial  night  (very  rich).  How 
to  fascinate.  A  preacher’ s  illustration.  Sparking  in 
the  dark.  Peeping  Tom,  the  Stroller.  Philosophy 
of  hugging.  Two  rich  love  letters  (read  two  ways). 
Also  contans 

12  SPIRITED  PICTURES 
Exhibiting  a  young  couple  before  and  after  marriage. 
How  to  flirt.  How  to  kiss  deliciously.  A  number 
of  French  secrets  for  both  ladies  and  gentlemen. 

Also  a  sample  of  “THE  TICKLER,”  to  please 
the  gents. 


O 

2 

r 

< 

H 

< 

n 

M 

2 

H 

m 


* 


* 


Of  course  the  contents  are  bad,  but  in  every  way 
the  package  is  a  swindle.  Its  whole  value  is  not  one- 
half  of  a  cent,  merely  consisting  of  two  cards,  upon  one 
of  which  are  two  silly  pictures,  and  upon  the  other  a 
dirtily  suggestive  jingle;  and  a  coarse  sheet  of  paper 
upon  which  are  printed  even  more  dirtily  suggestive 
instructions,  secrets,  etc. 

The  “padding  ”  of  the  package  is  a  small  book,  is¬ 
sued  by  one  of  the  “  specialists”  who  make  it  their  bus¬ 
iness  to  trade  upon  the  fears  of  the  young  and  vicious. 

And  so  it  is  with  all  this  kind  of  show.  The  direct 
result  of  this  exhibit  is  to  send  young  men  off  to  the 
numerous  houses  of  prostitution  which  are  close  at  hand. 


IMMORAL  DIVES. 


67 


Then,  should  contagion  or  other  physical  evil  follow, 
the  “  doctor  ”  has  already  put  in  his  claim  for  a  right 
to  treat  his  newly-made  patient. 

Can  anything  be  more  malignant  and  fiendish  ? 
Could  the  evil  one  have  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  men  to 
more  completely  ruin  all  that  is  pure,  and  noble,  and 
good  in  our  boys  than  to  do  just  what  these  men  are 
doing  ? 

For  that  what  we  speak  is  within  the  strictest 
bounds  of  truth,  will  be  apparent  when  we  further 
state  that  in  one  of  these  places  we  found  “  peep-holes” 
covered  over  with  cloth,  above  which  were  the  most 
licentiously  suggestive  directions.  One  raised  the  “cur¬ 
tain  ”  and  peeped  in,  and  in  one  he  was  recommended 
to  try  a  cigar,  and  in  another  was  practically  informed 
where  he  might  go  to  gratify  his  evil  desire. 

And  all  this  close  to  the  heart  of  the  city,  under 
the  observation  of  passers-by,  every  hour  of  every  day 
of  the  year — openly,  daringly  pandering  to  the  basest 
in  man — temptingly  displaying  its  wares  of  hell  to  the 
young — and  with  electric  bell,  pictures,  music,  etc.,  en¬ 
ticing  them  in. 

These  are  but  samples  of  others  that  might  be  just 
as  fully  described  of  such  bestial  resorts  in  Chicago. 

Policemen  walk  by  daily,  and  if  they  do  not  know, 
there  is  no  excuse  for  their  not  knowing,  the  character 
of  these  pestiferous  plague-spots. 

Is  there  no  law  to  reach  such  Augean  stables? 
And  if  there  is  a  law,  are  there  not  men  in  Chicago  of 
enough  moral  backbone  to  enforce  them,  if  the  police 
are  derelict  in  their  duty? 

We  have  the  profoundest  sympathy  for  the  man 
or  woman  who  falls,  and  would  help  continually  all  such 


68 


IMMORAL  DIVES. 


persons  desirous  of  reforming,  but  for  these  execrable 
wretches,  the  treatment  of  the  Mafia  gang  in  New 
Orleans  is  too  good  for  them.  They  should  be  flayed 
alive  with  whips  of  living  scorpions.  Vile,  foul, 
mephitic  scoundrels,  with  wit  and  intelligence  enough 
to  pander  to  all  that  is  lowest  and  vilest  in  mankind — 
setting  skilfully  baited  traps  to  catch  the  boys  of  our 
city,  they  should  be  treated  as  the  venomous  vipers  they 
are,  and,  after  a  warning  to  desist,  shot  down  like 
skunks  if  they  ever  dare  to  exhibit  their  soilure  in 
Chicago  again. 


- 


Obscene  Books ,  PicUtres  and 
A  dvertisements . 


“I’ve  heard  that  poison-sprinkled  flowers 
Are  sweeter  in  perfume 
Than  when  untouched  by  deadly  dew, 

They  opened  in  their  bloom. 

I’ve  heard  that  with  the  witches’  song, 

Though  harsh  and  rude  it  be, 

There  blends  a  wild,  mysterious  strain 
Of  weirdest  harmony, 

So  that  the  listener  far  away 
Must  needs  approach  the  ring 
Where,  on  the  savage  Lapland  moors 
The  demon  chorus  sing. 

And  I  believe  the  devil’s  voice 
Sinks  deeper  in  the  ear 
Than  any  whispers  sent  from  Heaven, 

However  soft  and  clear.” 

— Aytoun. 


In  Pompeii,  when  the  ruins  of  that  ancient  city 
were  unearthed,  were  found  frescoes  and  pictures  of  a 
most  sensual,  lascivious  and  horrible  character.  Histo¬ 
rians  have  strongly  commented  upon  the  fearful  state 
of  morality  these  frescoes  and  similar  things  evidenced, 
and  lifted  up  their  hands  in  holy  horror  at  the  debased 
condition  of  these  people.  Our  commissioners  are  al¬ 
most  unanimous  in  declaring  that  in  Chicago  to-day 


JO  OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 

there  are  to  be  found  many  thousands  of  pictures,  many 
of  them  publicly  and  freely  exposed,  that  are  nearly  as 
t>ad  in  fact,  and  equally  as  bad  in  tendency,  as  these 
strongly  reprobated  Pompeiian  frescoes. 

Reader,  do  you  take  in  the  full  significance  of  this 
statement?  In  Pompeii  two  thousand  years  ago  the 
conditions  of  life  were  very  different  from  the  condi¬ 
tions  existent  here.  Nudity  of  body,  with  both  male 
and  female,  until  the  age  of  puberty,  made  contempla¬ 
tion  of  the  human  form  a  common  thing  to  them,  and 
therefore  not  such  an  excitant  to  passion  as  it  is  with  us. 

Nearly  twenty  decades  of  “civilization”  and 
ts  Christianity  ”  have  passed  since  Pompeii’s  days  of 
glory,  and  yet,  we,  the  refined,  the  Christian  nation, 
the  u  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of  the  brave,” 
u  the  leading  nation  of  the  earth,”  in  this  city  which  is 
to  be  the  center  of  the  world  at  the  Exposition  of  1893, 
we  allow  to  be  exposed  for  sale  in  our  public  windows 
photographs  of  nude  women  that  are  as  dangerously 
suggestive  as  anything  that  ever  disgraced  the  walls  of 
u  heathen  ”  Pompeii. 

We  do  not  utterly  and  completely  condemn  the 
“  nude  in  art,”  but  what  art  is  there  in  the  photograph 
of  a  naked  prostitute  lying  or  sitting  in  a  most  sugges¬ 
tive  position,  and  without  any  grace  or  beauty  to  com¬ 
mend  it?  Such  pictures  have  a  most  dangerous  ten¬ 
dency.  They  stimulate  and  excite  the  imagination,  and 
this,  by  the  law  of  reflex  action,  causes  physical  excite¬ 
ment  and  desire  which  sets  a  young  man  afire  with 
unholy  passion,  and  sends  him  off,  in  many  instances, 
directly  to  the  brothel. 

There  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  publisher  of 
this  book  a  number  of  these  photographs  purchased  by 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


7r 


our  commissioners  in  various  dens  of  Chicago.  In  one 
of  the  principal  streets  these  photographs  are  openly 
advertised  on  the  sidewalk,  where  a  large  board  has 
painted  upon  it  the  fact  that  downstairs  there  are  5,000 
Rich,  Rare,  Racy,  Nude  and  Comic  pictures  on  exhi¬ 
bition  and  sale. 

How  is  it  that  in — one  might  almost  venture  to 
say — seven  out  of  every  ten  saloons  in  this  city,  the 
walls  are  “  decorated  ”  with  lascivious  pictures?  In 
some  of  the  leading  saloons  of  Chicago  there  are  paint¬ 
ings,  skillfully  executed  by  artistic  fingers — fingers  and 
brain  alas!  under  the  dominion  of  a  most  depraved 
heart,  and  which  have  no  other  purpose  than  to  excite 
the  passionate  and  lascivious  desires  of  their  beholders. 

Talk  about  the  degradation  of  ancient  Babylon  and 
Pompeii,  and  the  licentiousness  of  the  worship  of 
Aphrodite  in  Corinth;  Chicago  is  not  one  whit  the 
better  than  any  of  these  places,  and  it  is  without  the 
brave  daring  of  those  people  who  openly  and  honestly 
declared  their  base  worship,  and  attempted,  with  some 
show  of  reason,  to  justify  it,  whilst  we  lift  up  our 
hands  in  horror  and  condemn  it,  profess  not  to  know  of 
its  existence,  find  fault  with  and  ostracise  any  man 
who  dares  to  bravely  tell  us  of  it  and  demand  that  we 
do  our  duty  in  seeking  to  suppress  or  cure  it,  and  then 
lift  up  our  hands  to  heaven,  and,  as  Sam  Jones  says, 
“Go  and  say  our  little  prayers,  and  read  our  little 
Bibles,  and  sing  our  little  hymns,  and  thank  God  we 
are  not  as  other  men,  for  we,  we  are  the  people,  the 
choice  people  of  God.” 

Can  any  of  our  readers  explain  why  these  pan- 
derers  to  lust  are  allowed  to  continue  in  their  unholy 
work.  Is  there  no  law  which  prohibits  the  sale  of 


7  2 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


these  beastly  pictures?  The  presence  of  such  pictures 
provoke  men  to  the  most  dirty  and  disgusting  com¬ 
ments  on  womankind,  and  for  this,  if  for  no  other  rea¬ 
son,  should  be  prohibited. 

For  men,  human  beings  of  intelligence,  and  often¬ 
times  of  education  and  what  is  called  “  refinement,”  to 
out-bestialize  the  beasts  and  bring  all  the  powers  of 
their  minds  to  their  detestable  work  of  adding  to  the 
depravity  of  others,  it  is  monstrous  and  devilish;  and 
some  means  should  be  adopted  to  make  at  least  the 
open  pursuing  of  such  demoralizing  work  an  impos¬ 
sibility. 

It  can  never  be  that  men’s  morals  can  be  regulated 
by  law.  However  much  it  is  to  be  deplored,  men  may 
tell  dirty  stories  one  to  another  if  they  choose;  a  man  in 
his  private  room  may  cover  the  walls  with  vile  and  sug¬ 
gestive  pictures,  and  no  law,  perhaps,  can  be  framed  to 
interfere  with  him;  but  in  public  places,  such  exhibi¬ 
tions  should  be  sternly  suppressed  by  law,  and  the  pro¬ 
moters  of  them  severely  punished. 

Another  branch  of  this  lewd  picture  department  is 
found  in  connection  with  advertisements. 

Various  liquor  manufacturers  advertise  their  wares 
by  using  seductive  placards  of  semi-nude  women.  Look 
into  the  windows  of  many  of  the  saloons  and  you  see 
pictures  that  would  make  you  blush  with  shame  were 
any  pure  woman  by  your  side.  Our  commissioners 
have  walked  down  some  of  the  main  streets  of  Chicago 
and  have  noted  the  places  where  these  are  to  be  found 
and  the  names  of  the  liquors  that  are  thus  advertised, 
and  the  list  is  by  no  means  small,  although  no  very 
special  attention  has  been  given  to  this  department. 

Then,  too,  in  advertising  cigars,  cigarettes  and 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  FTC. 


73 


tobaccos  it  is  a  notorious  fact  that  the  manufacturers 
have  sought  to  outvie  each  other  in  the  dirty  nastiness 
of  their  suggestive  designs.  No  doubt  these  fellows 
would  meet  us  with  the  proverb,  u  Honi  soit  qui  mal  y 
pense ,”  but  where  one  hears — as  our  commissioners  re¬ 
port — dirty,  filthy  comments  upon  the  pictures  pro¬ 
vided  by  these  firms,  the  “  evil  is  thought  ”  net  by  us 
who  seek  to  expose  it,  but  by  those  whom  we  say  are 
doing  this  corrupting  work  by  their  lewd  exhibitions* 
Some  stores  are  placarded  from  one  end  to  the  other 
with  tobacco  announcements,  many  of  them  designed 
to  arouse  and  excite  evil  passion. 

The  posters  of  some  of  the  theatrical  companies 
are  not  free  from  this  same  charge.  So  brazen  and 
shameless  has  this  business  become,  that  in  several 
cities,  the  law  has  been  invoked  to  prohibit  the  posting 
of  these  indecent  advertisements.  They  have  a  purpose 
in  thus  exhibiting  members  of  their  companies  in  slight 
costumes.  It  is  a  pandering  to  the  lustful  in  men,  whose 
evil  hearts  delight  in  gazing  upon  the  half-exposed  per¬ 
sons  of  the  performers,  attracting  audiences  for  whom 
lewdness,  dirty  double- entendre  and  base  suggestiveness 
are  their  chosen  food.  The  Monitor ,  of  Rockford,  Ill., 
says:  u  Municipal  authorities  allow  the  managers  or 
agents  of  variety  shows,  or  troops  of  nastiness  to  paste 
in  conspicuous  places  along  public  thoroughfares  pic¬ 
tures  of  semi-nude  and  grossly  voluptuous  women,  that 
suggests  only  sensuality  to  a  child’s  mind,  and  which 
becomes  a  matter  of  conversation  among  themselves, 
breeding  nothing  but  baseness  and  secret  sin.  Is  there 
to  be  no  remedy  for  this  public  method  of  advertising 
shame  and  insulting  the  virtue  and  purity  of  an  innocent 
and  injured  people?” 


74 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


In  books  too,  there  is  much  of  this  pandering  to 
the  vile  and  depraved  in  human  nature,  and  Chicago 
seems  to  have  a  “  corner  ”  upon  the  authorship  and 
production  of  some  of  the  vilest  books  published  in 
America.  We  do  not  refer  to  the  reprints  of  the  so- 
called  classics.  Rabelais,  Boccaccio,  Le  Sage  and  others 
may  be  debatable  ground,  and  it  is  not  our  object  to 
enter  into  a  discussion  as  to  the  moral  or  immoral  ten¬ 
dencies  of  such  works  as  Zola’s. 

There  may  be  some  argument  in  favor  of  such 
novels.  One  can  admire  the  robustness  of  Fielding, 
even  though  he  deplores  the  occasional  touches  of 
coarseness  Fielding  indulges  in.  There  may  be  some 
artistic  skill  displayed  in  the  younger  Dumas’  novels, 
which,  in  a  measure,  helps  to  palliate  the  lustfulness  of 
them. 

Tolstoi  wrote  his  Kreutzer  Sonata  with  a  purpose, 
and  its  revolting  pages  possess  at  least  the  bravery  of  a 
true  soul  seeking  the  solution  of  an  awful  problem.  But 
there  can  be  no  two  opinions  in  the  minds  of  any,  as  to 
one  class  of  books  which  are  openly  exposed  for  sale, 
without  let  or  hindfance,  on  the  streets  of  Chicago. 

When  a  book  sets  out  on  its  title  page  that  it  is  the 
realistic  history  of  a  street-walker,  or  the  private  life  of 
a  courtesan,  and  its  pages  are  full  of  the  minutest  details 
of  a  life  of  vice,  written  in  the  most  sensational  and  ex¬ 
citing  manner,  it  needs  no  wisdom  to  discern  that  such 
a  book  has  but  one  purpose  in  view,  and  that  purpose  is 
to  so  arouse  the  young  as  to  send  them  headlong  into 
the  brothel. 

Few  people  recognize  the  close  connection  between 
these  things.  There  is  a  fraternity,  with  bonds  as  close 
as  hell’s  power  can  rivet  them,  existing  between  the 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


75 


brothel  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  saloon,  the  lewd  pic¬ 
ture  dealer,  the  lascivious  book-maker  and  the  sensual 
theater  manager  on  the  other.  The  four  latter  excite 
their  patrons  so  that  they  patronize  the  brothel,  and  the 
brothel  repays  the  assistance  rendered  by  becoming  a 
good  customer  of  the  saloon  and  the  rest. 

For  where  is  the  brothel  without  liquor?  without 
lewd  pictures  on  the  walls?  without  exciting  books 
on  the  tables?  and  whose  inmates  do  not  make  of  the 
basest  theaters  what  the  Christian  woman  makes  of  her 
church. 

Indeed  the  stage  of  those  theaters  we  have  con¬ 
demned,  is  the  pulpit  of  the  brothel,  and  its  lessons  are 
taught  and  lived  there,  and  too  often  the  stage  is  but  the 
representation  of  its  actualized  lessons  as  found  in  the 
brothel. 

Here  are  the  advertisements — reproduced  verbatim 
— of  two  books  written  in  Chicago,  published  in  Chi¬ 
cago,  and  sent  broadcast  from  Chicago;  books  that  are 
a  disgrace  to  Chicago,  and  that  the  citizens  of  Chicago 
should  suppress,  by  force  if  necessary: 

This  story  is  considered  by  many  to  be  the  most  interesting 
and  entertaining  Romance  of  Gay  Life  ever  written.  There  u 
something  about  it  that  Charms  and  Fascinates,  and  wins  the  ad. 
miration  of  every  reader.  The  heroine  is  one  of  those  Wild,  Reck- 
less  Dare-devils,  that  every  now  and  then  dashes  upon  the  world 
like  a  Blazing  Meteor  and  by  Brazen  Audacity  and  Wonderful 
Cheek  creates  a  Sensation  that  makes  her  at  once  The  Talk  of  the 
Town,  and  the  Star  of  the  Street.  She  delights  in  being  called 
Wicked.  Her  own  words,  in  one  striking  passage,  tells  what  she  is. 
“  Mother,”  she  said,  “  I  will  not  go  home  !  I  will  not  be  good  !  I 
will  not  reform !  I  will  always  be 

“A  GAY  GIRL  OF  THE  TOWN!” 

The  adventures  of  this  Wild  Child  of  the  Street,  as  narrated  in 


76 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


chapter  after  chapter  of  the  Romance,  are  Thrilling  in  the  extreme. 
While  under  the  Spell  of  a  Terrible  Enchantment  the  wayward  crea¬ 
ture  seems  really  Devil-Possessed,  and  exhibits  a  hardness  of  Heart 
that  a  Demon  in  Hell  could  not  excel.  She  Laughs  with  Horrid 
Glee  at  a  Mother’s  awful  Curse,  Defies  the  Officers  of  the  Law, 
Damns  everything  Good,  and  in  every  possible  way  endeavors  to  be 

the  Wickedest  Girl  in - .  She  Drinks,  Swears,  Fights,  Lies, 

Steals,  and  takes  pride  in  being  Abominably  Bad,  Yet,  underneath 
all  there  is  Something  Noble  in  this  Wicked  Girl.  She  is  not  as  bad 
as  she  tries  to  make  herself.  The  marvelously  beautiful  little  Cour¬ 
tesan  turns  with  spite  and  venom  upon  other  and  deeper  dyed 
wretches,  and  is  the  means  of  Rescuing  Innocence  from  Peril,  and 
heaping  Coals  of  Fire  upon  the  Heads  of  those  she  hates.  Some  of 
the  situations  in  this  story  are  Frightful  in  their  Fiendishness,  while 
others  are  Ridiculous  in  their  Ludicrousne?s.  She  figures  promi¬ 
nently  in  every  chapter,  from  the  time  she  deserts  her  poor  old 
broken-hearted  mother  to  become  an  Outcast,  to  the  happier  ter¬ 
mination  of  her  Wickedness.  It  is  a  well-told  tale — one  that  will  be 
carefuLy  preserved  long  after  trashy  yarns  are  dead  and  forgotten — 
and  is  destined  to  take  Front  Rank  among  the  Great  Realistic 
Romances  of  this  Fast  Age. 

IT  IS  THE  FASTEST  SELLING  BOOK  EVER  PUBLISHED. a=^H 

Most  Liberal  Terms  to  Dealers.  Agents  Wanted  Everywhere. 

This  is  the  second: 

A  ROMANCE  CROWDED  WITH  WILD  EXCITEMENT  AND  STRANGE 

ADVENTURE. 

The  story  told  by  the  author  is  one  that  relates  entirely  to  the 

Night  Side  of - ,  nearly  every  scene,  from  commencement  to 

end,  being  at  or  near  the  Ghostly  Midnight  Hour.  The  characters 
are  all  taken  from  life,  many  real  names  being  used.  Every  phase 
of  City  Life  is  depicted  so  truthfully  as  to  make  each  chapter  of  the 
book  one  of  Sensational  Excitement,  Nothing  is  omitted  that  may 
be  seen  Under  the  Gaslight.  “The  Tiger”  is  visited  in  his  lair. 
The  Scarlet  Woman  is  pictured  in  her  Magnificence  and  her  Degra¬ 
dation.  The  Assignation  Fiend  plays  a  prominent  part.  The  plot 
is  one  admirably  calculated  to  bring  out  the  Fiery  Element  in  writ¬ 
ing  that  has  made  the  author  famous.  Every  chapter  contains  some¬ 
thing  Hair-raising  and  Blood-curdling.  It  contains  every  element 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


77 


of  popularity  as  a  Sensational  Romance,  abounding  in  Abductions, 
Street  Fights,  Stabbings,  Shootings,  Plottings  against  Virtue,  and 
many  more  exciting  themes,  that  cannot  fail  to  interest  those  who 
like  to  read  of  City  Life  as  it  is.  It  is  beautifully  illustrated  with 
full  page  engravings. 

One  of  the  books  offered  for  sale,  not  only  in  secret 
dives,  but  openly  on  every  hand,  is  a  book  as  vile  and 
as  filthy  as  it  could  possibly  be.  It  professes  to  give 
the  life  of  a  street  walker  and  was  written  and 
published  in  this  city.  One  whole  chapter  is  de¬ 
voted  to  the  speech  of  a  young  man  who  is  defend¬ 
ing  the  institution  of  prostitution,  and  who  is  justifying 
himself  for  visiting  a  house  of  ill-fame.  With  the 
most  specious  arguments — arguments  that  the  young 
men  and  women  who  read  the  book  will  greedily 
swallow — he  not  only  attempts  to  justify  his  conduct 
in  coming  regularly  to  these  houses,  but  in  most  coarse 
and  blasphemous  terms  condemns  those  whom  he  says 
would  “howl  at  him”  were  his  justifications  (?)  and 
explanations  made  public.  Then — and  we  pray  the 
fathers  and  mothers  of  Chicago,  to  heed  well  what  we 
say  of  this  book — the  old  man  to  whom  the  young  man 
is  thus  speaking  grasps  him  by  the  hand  and  says: 
“  Young  man,  were  I  your  father  I  would  say  ‘  God 
bless  you,  my  son!’”  And  with  these  words  ringing 
in  his  ears  the  young  man  calls  to  his  female  partner  in 
crime  and  they  retire  to  indulge  in  their  foul  embraces. 

Think  of  it!  Such  a  book  as  this  exposed  openly 
for  sale  in  Chicago,  and  openly  published  here,  with 
the  loud  boast  of  the  publisher  on  the  title  page  that 
this  is  one  of  the  sixteenth  edition  of  five  thousand. 

Eighty  thousand  copies  of  this  vile  fount  of  pol¬ 
lution  sold  in  Chicago  to  defile  the  fair  sons  and 
daughters  of  this  city.  Eighty  thousand  copies  of  a 


78  OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 

specious  argument  which  vicious  minds  repeat  with 
glee,  profess  to  believe,  and  certainly  make  their  lives 
conform  to,  viz:  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  young 
man  to  be  chaste;  that  it  is  only  human  and  natural  for 
him  to  gratify  his  lustful  appetite.  Eighty  thousand 
copies  of  a  book  that  “  damns  ”  all  those  who  would 
visit  censure  upon  this  young  man  for  thus  declaring 
his  lustful  excuses.  Eighty  thousand  plain  and  clear 
incitements  to  three  or  four  times  eighty  thousand  of 
the  sons  of  Chicago  to  visit  the  house  of  prostitution, 
and  thus  keep  up  the  army  of  prostitutes  that  the  book 
acknowledges  live  in  this  city. 

There  is  now  in  the  penitentiary  at  Joliet,  a  mid¬ 
dle-aged  man,  who,  for  years,  carried  on  the  sale  of 
obscene  literature  in  Chicago.  He  was  a  man  of  edu¬ 
cation,  but  through  the  cursing  influence  of  drink, 
drifted  into  the  debasing  business  of  distributing  these 
abominable  books.  He  was  at  one  time  a  bookseller 
in  this  city,  doing  a  good  and  apparently  respectable 
business,  but,  tempted  by  the  hope  of  increased  gain 
and  profit,  began,  and  successfully  carried  on  for  a  long 
time,  the  sale  of  obscene  literature.  The  postoffice 
authorities  at  length  secured  his  conviction,  and  he  is 
now  serving  his  sentence. 

And  yet  the  literature  for  which  this  man  was  con¬ 
victed  was  not  one  whit  worse  than  that  which  is  now 
publicly  sold  on  our  principal  streets. 

Talk  about  a  vigilance  committee  to  exterminate 
the  Mafia,  and  the  necessity  of  crushing  the  Clan-na- 
Gael,  and  the  efforts  to  suppress  this  and  that  evil,  can 
there  be  anything  that  ought  to  call  forth  all  the  deter¬ 
mined  energies  of  loyal  men  and  women,  pure  men 
and  women,  fathers  and  mothers,  citizens,  preachers, 


OBSCENE  BOOKS,  PICTURES,  ETC. 


79 


laymen,  reformers,  philanthropists,  and  city  officials  to 
exterminate  more  than  this  breed  of  polluters  of  our 
young  who  make  and  publish  such  books  as  this? 
We  talk  of  the  need  of  cleaning  our  city  streets  and 
purifying  our  city  government,  which  are  likely  to  be 
done,  but  there  is  a  moral  reform  work  demanding 
attention  of  far  greater  importance;  yet  one  and  all 
conspire  in  a  policy  of  silence  about  such  things  and 
tacitly  acknowledge  that  “  nothing  can  be  done  in  re¬ 
gard  to  them.” 

The  effect  produced  upon  the  young  men  of  Chi¬ 
cago  by  this  vile  literature  is  infinitely  greater  for  evil 
in  the  ruining  of  moral  character,  than  the  efforts  of  all 
the  preachers  of  this  city  are  able  to  counteract.  And 
yet  many  of  them  go  into  their  pulpits  and  roam  every¬ 
where  in  their  thought,  delivering  essays  on  current 
literature,  and  beating  the  air  with  unmeaning  words, 
when  live,  active  powers  of  evil  like  these  are  before 
them,  demanding  attention.  The  work  of  the  preacher 
is  to  expose  and  seek  to  crush  all  evil,  and  these  evils 
should  be  a  constant  theme  in  the  pulpit  until  the 
remedies  are  applied  and  our  mental  atmosphere  is 
cleared  as  far  as  possible  by  the  destruction  of  the 
sources  of  such  pollution  and  ruin. 

But  not  only  should  the  pulpit  do  its  duty.  The 
obligation  is  upon  every  citizen  to  assist  in  the 
suppression  of  this  vile  catalogue  of  iniquities. 

Let  these  statements  of  fact  in  regard  to  these  books 
bring  down  such  a  storm  of  fierce  indignation  and 
solemn  warning  upon  the  heads  of  publishers  and  sel¬ 
lers  that  the  repetition  of  such  offenses  against  the 
good  of  the  community  will  be  rendered  impossible. 


The  Social  Evil. 


“One  of  the  most  eminent  statisticians  and  experts  in 
criminal  and  other  social  statistics  in  the  United  States 
has  given  it  as  his  opinion  that  licentiousness  is  the  most 
powerful  cause  of  crime  in  this  country." 

— Rev.  S.  W .  Dike. 

“Whoso  committeth  adultery  with  a  woman  lacketh 
understanding;  he  that  doeth  it  destroyeth  his  own  soul. 

A  wound  and  a  dishonor  shall  he  get,  and  his  reproach 
shall  not  be  wiped  away. 

— Proverbs  of  Solomon. 

“  Whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her 
hath  committed  adultery  already  with  her  in  his  heart.” 

— Jesus  of  Nazareth . 

“The  chariot  wheels  of  Vanity,  still  rolling  here  and 
there  through  distant  streets,  are  bearing  her  to  Halls 
roofed-in,  and  lighted  to  due  pitch  for  her;  and  only  Vice 
and  Misery,  to  prowl  or  to  moan  like  night-birds,  are 
abroad.  Riot  cries  aloud,  and  staggers  and  swaggers  in 
his  rank  dens  of  shame.” 

—  Carlyle. 

THE  gigantic  evil  of  prostitution  in  Chicago  has 
assumed  the  aggressive  attitude  it  takes  in  all 
large  cities  where  constant  vigilance  is  not  exer¬ 
cised  to  check  it.  To  say  that  it  is  not  a  grave  and 
fearful  problem,  is  to  acknowledge  one’s-self  ignorant 
of  the  world’s  past  history.  Men  have  always  at¬ 
tempted  to  justify  prostitution,  but  despite  these 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


8l 


attempts,  the  world  at  large  has  never  yet  allowed  itself 
to  gaze  upon  a  fallen  woman  without  a  feeling  of  ab¬ 
horrence  and  pity. 

In  seeking  this  justification  the  woman  has  been 
ignored;  her  side  of  the  question  has  never  been  con¬ 
sidered.  Solon,  the  great  Greek,  even  as  early  as  594 
b.  c.,  established  public  brothels  as  state  institutions,  in 
Athens,  for  the  benefit  of  men ,  and  this  same  wise  man 
decreed  that  “  a  woman  who  submitted  to  the  embraces 
of  a  lover  must  atone  for  the  enormity,  by  loss  of  free¬ 
dom  or  life.” 

In  all  ages  man,  by  his  superior  brute  power,  has 
compelled  the  weaker  woman  to  submit  to  his  lustful 
embraces.  Sometimes  it  has  been  under  the  guise  of 
religious  rite,  but  generally  confessed  as  an  outlet  for 
his  uncontrolled  passionate  impulses.  In  Babylon,  Ar¬ 
menia,  Egypt,  Syria,  Phoenicia,  Cyprus,  Carthage,  as 
well  as  in  Greece  and  Rome,  and  even  in  Jerusalem, 
the  sexual  subjugation  of  women  in  the  horrors  of 
prostitution  was  common. 

Hence  has  come  down  to  us  in  this  day  of  modern 
civilization  the  “  dual  standard  of  chastity,” — “what  is 
right  for  man  is  wrong  for  woman!  ” 

There  are  thousands  of  men  in  Chicago,  who,  by 
their  lives  more  than  merely  profess  to  believe  this  hor¬ 
rible  doctrine.  Physiology  emphatically  denies  such  a 
foul  aspersion  on  mankind.  It  is  as  easy  for  a  man  to 
be  chaste  as  a  woman.  He  is  no  more  subject  to  un¬ 
controllable  sexual  impulse  than  is  she.  Therefore 
the  social  law  that  renders  a  “fallen  woman”  an  outcast 
and  yet  tolerates  the  “fallen  man”  is  an  outrage  and  a 
slander  upon  humanity.  And  this  outrage  is  glaringly 
apparent  in  Chicago  on  every  hand.  North,  West  and 


82 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


South  Sides  are  infested  with  dens  of  prostitutes,  and, 
of  course,  with  prostitute’s  companions,  men  who  are 
far  worse  than  the  women  they  visit.  We  extend 
our  intensest  sympathy  to  the  majority  of  these  women. 
Their  lives  are  evil,  we  admit,  but  the  extenuating  cir¬ 
cumstances  are  often  greater  than  the  world  has  any 
idea;  their  business  is  loathsome  and  hideous  even  to 
themselves;  their  end  dreadful  and  tormenting.  So 
that  we  pity  the  poor  female,  and  would  extend  the 
helping  hand  to  her,  but  we  confess  to  no  such  feelings 
for  the  majority  of  “  fallen  men.”  And  let  it  be  dis¬ 
tinctly  understood  here,  that  there  are  from  seven  to 
twelve  “fallen  men”  to  every  “fallen  woman.”  We 
must  not  count  the  one  sex  only,  in  our  estimates  of 
this  foul  evil,  the  other  is  far  greater  in  numbers,  and 
we  believe,  far  greater  in  criminality. 

Too  often  the  woman’s  chief  fault  was  her  great 
love  and  perfect  trustfulness  in  the  man  who  betrayed 
her.  Seduced  by  his  specious  promises,  she  gave  all 
she  had, — her  life,  her  honor — to  his  keeping,  and  he 
foully  violated  the  trust,  and  then  cast  her  off  to  enter 
the  life  of  shame  which  ends  only  in  dishonor,  disease 
and  death. 

In  this  great  and  free  commonwealth  of  Illinois 
there  is  no  law  for  the  punishment  of  seduction  by 
either  man  or  woman.  Of  the  need  of  such  law  the 
report  of  the  Protective  Agency  thus  speaks: 

The  most  painful  cases  in  the  Protective  work  are  those  of 
young  girls  who  have  been  dishonored,  outraged  and  seduced. 

“  Under  the  influence  of  some  deadening  drug,  many  a  terrible 
assault  ia  accomplished;  few,  comparatively,  are  reported  unless 
pregnancy  results.  For  the  self-dependent  girl  to  announce  her 
shame  (?)  is  to  weight  her  hands  and  feet  with  lead,  to  take  hope  out 
of  her  heart,  and  to  close  the  doors  of  homes  to  her  all  over  the  land. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL.  83 

“Somewhere  these  murderers  walk  unmolested;  would  that 
they  bore  the  mark  of  Cain  ! 

“  In  yonder  hospital  a  young  girl  awaits  the  swift-coming  birth- 
pangs  in  pitiful  terror.  The  old  story,  seduction  under  promise  of 
marriage — and  an  attempt,  by  his  assistance,  to  destroy  the  fruit  of 
sin — forsaken ! 

“  In  answer  to  my  question,  ‘  Why  not  go  home  ?  ’  she  replied, 
with  streaming  tears,  ‘  Oh,  I  dare  not,  1  have  no  mother,  she  might 
forgive  me,  my  step-mother  never  would.’ 

‘‘And  where,  meanwhile,  is  the  father  of  the  unwelcome  child 
resting  beneath  this  breaking  heart?  In  one  of  the  most  influential 
firms  in  this  city,  received  as  kindly  as  of  yore,  careless,  heartless, 
utterly  irresponsive  to  appeals  made  to  him  by  ladies  of  our  society, 
who  visited  him  at  different  times  to  urge  him  to  redeem  his  promise 
and  marry  this  poor  trusting  girl  and  legitimize  their  child. 

“  ‘  He  needn’t  live  with  me  if  he  don’t  want  to,  but  I  can  re¬ 
turn  to  my  father’s  house  if  I  am  only  married,’  she  said,  pit¬ 
eously. 

“And  what  would  we  say  to  these  betrayed  girls?  We  would 
say:  If  you  have  fallen — rise!  If  you  have  been  plunged  down 
an  abyss — climb  up  !  Assert  your  womanhood,  and  remember  there 
is  in  the  world  no  illegitimate  child .  Motherhood  may  be  always 
holy,  if  we  will  it  so  to  be ,  and  that  while  God  lives,  none  can  be 
fatherless  !  Illegitimate  parentage  there  may  be,  but  protect  your 
child,  as  you  value  your  own  immortal  soul,  from  the  sting  and 
ostracism  of  an  unjust  public  sentiment. 

“And  you  and  I,  dear  reader  and  friend,  will  help  usher  in  a 
better  day  by  demanding  the  same  code  of  morals  for  men  and 
women.  ” 

Here  is  a  case  which  was  taken  up  by  the  Protec¬ 
tive  Agency,  and  given  in  their  last  annual  report: 

“Another  case  of  unusual  importance  was  an  assault  case  by  a 
man  named  Murray,  upon  a  young  girl  only  just  fourteen  years  old. 
The  girl  was  adopted  into  a  family  where  she  had  come  to  be  an  un¬ 
welcome  inmate,  and  about  the  time  this  man  became  acquainted 
with  her  she  was  very  unhappy  at  home.  The  man  was  married, 
and  had  three  lovely  children,  but  for  years  had  lived  a  most  im¬ 
moral  life.  He  was  plausible  in  his  address,  and,  it  seems,  winning 


84 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


in  his  manners,  and  soon  gained  the  confidence  of  the  child.  On  a 
promise  of  taking  her  to  visit  places  of  interest  in  the  city  he  enticed 
her  to  a  hotel  where  he  registered  her  as  his  sister.  He  there  as¬ 
saulted  her.  Some  six  weeks  after,  the  girl’s  mother  by  questioning, 
found  out  the  facts  and  arrested  him.  The  case  was  brought  to  our 
notice  after  the  beginning  of  suit  in  the  justice  court.  Every  annoy¬ 
ing  and  odious  practice  was  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  discour- 
agingus  from  the  start.  After  four  or  five  continuances,  sometimes 
running  till  late  in  the  evening,  we  finally  had  the  man  held  to  the 
criminal  court.  After  some  consideration  we  decided  that  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  man  had  a  lovely  wife  and  some  very  bright 
children  and  that  our  complaining  witness  was  a  very  young  girl 
almost  alone  in  t\e  world  we  would  not  push  the  case  in  the  crim¬ 
inal  court  if  the  man’s  employers  would  discharge  him  from  a  posi¬ 
tion  he  had  held  twenty-one  years.  This  they  declined  to  do  and  he 
dared  us  to  prosecute  him,  alleging  that  the  case  was  a  conspiracy 
against  him.  The  case  was  prosecuted  and  the  man  found  that  a 
jury  of  twelve  good  men  did  not  consider  that  the  evidence  gave  any 
indication  of  a  conspiracy.  He  wras  convicted  and  given  twenty 
years  in  the  penitentiary.  The  death  of  the  presiding  judge  before 
sentence  was  passed  gave  him  a  new  trial,  and  as  wre  had  placed  the 
girl  in  an  excellent  school  we  preferred  to  have  him  plead  ‘guilty’ 
and  take  three  years  in  the  penitentiary  rather  than  subject  so  young 
a  girl  to  the  odium  of  another  trial.  The  girl  gives  us  a  good 
promise  of  an  excellent  future.  She  has  improved  so  amazingly 
while  she  has  been  under  our  charge  that  we  have  every  reason  to 
believe  she  will  become  a  useful  and  worthy  woman.” 

% 

it  is  a  fact  so  well  known  to  many  as  to  excite  no 
horror  and  alas!  in  many,  no  indignation,  “that  it  is  not 
an  infrequent  thing  for  a  man  to  hire  a  young  and  pretty 
girl,  ostensibly  for  clerical  work,  but  with  the  express 
purpose  of  debauching  her”  We  could  give  many 
such  incidents.  Here  is  one  which  shows  the  danger 
to  which  such  girls  are  exposed: 

A  young  lady  from  a  neighboring  town,  clear¬ 
headed,  bright,  and — thank  God — clean  and  virtuous, 
thought  that  in  Chicago  she  could  improve  her  financial 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


85 


condition.  She  was  a  good  clerk  and  typewriter  and 
personally  responded  to  sixteen  advertisements  she 
found  in  Chicago  papers,  inserted  by  Chicago  business 
men,  asking  for  a  female  typewriter.  Out  of  the  six - 
teen ,  fifteen  explicitly  told  her  she  might  do  their 
work  at  a  salary  of  -from  $10  to  $12  a  week  if  she 
would  submit  to  their  embraces.  Fifteen  times  had  she 
to  spurn  these  horrible  proposals.  The  sixteenth  was 
the  honorable  proposal  of  an  honorable  man  which  she 
accepted,  at  a  salary  of  $5  a  week.  And  she  is  still 
there,  and  is  prepared  to  give  names  and  full  particulars 
under  oath  of  the  above  statement,  if  any  person  is 
found  with  temerity  enough  to  deny  it. 

There  are  many  girls,  however,  who  have  npt  re¬ 
ceived  the  home-training  this  girl  received,  and  who, 

m 

therefore,  would  easily  have  fallen  into  the  miry  pit  of 
sensuality.  Our  commissioners  know  of  several  who 
have  yielded  to  such  offers. 

At  the  opening  of  the  new  building  of  the 
Woman’s  Refuge  Mr.  Ballard  made  the  pertinent  re¬ 
mark  that  if  ever  a  plan  should  be  needed  for  the  deten¬ 
tion  of  the  evil  men  who  have  made  this  Home  neces¬ 
sary,  he  was  prepared  to  furnish  plans  for  a  building  in 
which  “  every  room  should  be  cold  as  their  hearts  and 
dark  as  their  deeds.”  And  to  this  sentiment,  all  those 
who  are  familiar  with  many  cases  of  “  woman’s  fall,” 
will  heartily  concur. 

There  are  so  many  forms  in  which  this  most 
gigantic  of  evils — the  social  evil — manifests  itself  that 
it  is  impossible  in  these  few  pages  to  do  more 
than  cursorily  touch  upon  them.  One  writer  has  elo¬ 
quently  and  truthfully  said: 

“  Impurity  is  about  us  like  a  cloud.  It  presses  in- 


86 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


ward  at  all  points  like  an  atmosphere.  Its  grossest 
forms  are  its  fewest  forms,  and  its  creeping  mist  tar¬ 
nishes  and  defaces  even  more  than  it  destroys.” 

Col.  J.  L.  Greene’s  words,  uttered  at  a  congress  in 
Washington,  apply  perfectly  to  Chicago:  “  The  open 
doors  of  hell  stand  wide  to  lure  the  footsteps  of  our 
sons  into  the  ways  of  death,  and  to  make  traffic  m 
woman’s  ruin ;  and  we  jostle  on  the  streets  their  emis¬ 
saries,  who,  with  hellish  craft  and  unpitying  hearts  lure 
the  untaught,  the  unwary,  the  giddy,  foolish  girls  to  re¬ 
cruit  those  swiftly-thinned  ranks  that  fill  our  hospitals 
and  our  potter’s  fields  with  loathsome  disease  and  pre¬ 
mature  death,  and  who  put  into  the  hands  of  our  youth^ 
and  our  children  a  literature  of  unspeakable  depravity. 
The  secret  lust  of  the  outwardly  respectable  has  its 
unsuspected  homes  of  sin  in  all  our  quarters;  the  break¬ 
ers  of  marriage  vows,  men  and  women,  masquerade  in 
our  society;  the  miserable  poor  herd  in  a  promiscuity 
that  makes  innocence  impossible  and  purity  almost  so; 
the  low  wages  that  make  the  bargains  on  our  shop 
counters  press  upon  the  unnumbered  army  of  work¬ 
women  the  constant  temptation  to  sell  soul  and  body  to 
supply  needed  comfort;  and  the  air  of  the  round  world 
throbs  wearily  day  and  night  with  the  foul  speech  and 
deadly  mirth  of  foul  minds  and  hearts.  These  things 
we  all  might  see  and  know  for  ourselves,  did  we  not 
try  to  shut  our  eyes  to  them,  and  draw  our  skirts  about 
us,  and  feel  that  our  only  responsibility  in  regard  to 
them  is  to  avoid  them.” 

Our  commissioners,  however,  have  not  avoided 
them,  and  we  would  that  with  loud  trumpet  tones  then 
note  of  warning  might  be  heard  not  only  in  Chicago, 
but  also  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


87 


There  are  several  sections  in  Chicago  almost  en¬ 
tirely  devoted  for  whole  blocks,  to  houses  of  prostitu¬ 
tion.  One  of  these  localities  is  known  as  The  Black 
Hole,  and  it  does  not  belie  its  name. 

Lemuel  Eli  Quiggs  in  his  tin-types  of  New  York 
gives  a  description  of  the  Bowery  in  that  city,  that  per¬ 
fectly  applies  to  the  Black  Hole  and  many  other  less 
noted  regions  of  Chicago.  “In  truth,  it  is  a  suggestive 
place,  is  the  Black  Hole.  Day  and  night  are  all  the 
same  to  it.  It  never  gets  up  and  it  never  goes  to  bed. 
It  never  takes  a  holiday.  It  never  keeps  Lent.  It  in¬ 
dulges  in  no  sentiments.  It  acknowledges  no  authority 
that  bids  it  remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy. 
But  from  year’s  end  to  year’s  end  it  bubbles,  and  boils, 
and  seethes,  and  frets,  while  the  daylight  lasts,  and  in 
the  glare  of  the  brighter  night  it  plunges  headlong  into 
^arousal!  ” 

On  many  streets  in  Chicago,  girls  constantly  lie  in 
wait  and  solicit  men  as  they  pass.  It  is  a  common 
thing  for  these  poor  creatures  to  openly  ply  their  traffic. 
And  there  are  houses — ostensibly  hotels — close  at  hand 
where  they  take  their,  alas!  too  often,  willing  victims. 
Sometimes  the  invitation  is  to  take  a  glass  of  beer,  and 
the  offer  to  allow  “privileges”  if  the  man  will  pay. 
There  are  always  gaudily  decorated  saloons  and  res¬ 
taurants,  in  near  proximity  to  the  “  walks  ”  of  these 
girls,  in  which  there  are  private  boxes  convenient  for 
such  a  purpose,  where,  as  the  girls  say,  “  we  shall  be 
perfectly  safe,  for  there’s  only  the  waiter  to  see,  and  he 
only  comes  when  we  ring  the  bell.” 

And  these  restaurants  are  places  where  some  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  city  go  and  eat.  Fine,  elegant 
rooms — well  fitted  up — food  prepared  delicately;  yet 


88 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


they  are  not  above  being  made  a  means  of  pandering 
to  the  lowest  vices  of  mankind.  They  may  say  they 
know  nothing  of  what  goes  on  in  these  private  com¬ 
partments.  “If  men  and  women  wish  to  eat,  well  and 
good,  and  they  are  not  supposed  to  know — nor  to  care 
— what  transpires  there.”  Granted  that  this  is  so,  then 
it  is  only  another  instance  of  the  impudence  of  vice  that 
it  dare  stalk  so  openly  into  “respectable  places.” 

And  if  the  saloon-keepers  shall  set  up  the  same 
plea,  we  would  ask  them  why  they  keep  a  door,  with  a 
dim  light  above  it,  in  a  back  alley,  easy  of  access,  ready 
tor  one  of  these  girls  to  enter  with  her  companion,  be 
he  somewhat  ashamed  and  timid? 

And  why  is  it  that  these  girls — and  God  knows 
we  pity  them,  oftentime  far  more  than  the  men  who 
use  them — are  allowed  to  stand  at  the  foot  of  the  hotel 
stairs,  soliciting  men  as  they  pass  by? 

Living  as  they  do,  upon  a  stimulating  diet,  young 
men  are  almost  powerless  to  resist  when  such  tempta¬ 
tions  are  thrown  in  their  way.  And  it  is  not  for  one 
moment  to  be  thought  that  all  these  girls  bear  a  rude, 
repulsive  look.  That  they  may  ultimately  become 
these  we  know  sadly  too  well,  but  in  the  earlier  days 
of  their  evil  career  they  look,  Christian  mother!  just  as 
sweet,  and  pretty,  and  demure,  as  your  own  charming 
and — God  be  thanked! — spotless  daughter.  This 
has  been,  and  ever  is,  one  of  the  constant  sources  of 
surprise  to  those  who  first  engage  in  this  work.  It  is 
not  always  the  vicious-looking  that  are  vicious.  Fresh¬ 
looking,  bright,  vivacious  country  lasses,  who  have  not 
yet  begun  to  seriously  feel  the  terrible  effects  of  their 
awful  life,  are  the  ones  who  are  sought  for  in  these 
u  city  ”  hotel-brothels,  for  they  are  more  liable  to 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


89 


tempt,  more  successful  in  bringing  in  custom,  than  the 
more  practiced,  but  at  the  same  time,  more  coarse- 
looking  seductress. 

And,  father!  mother!  your  boy  is  exposed  to  these 
temptations.  They  meet  him  on  every  hand,  unless  he 
is  unusually  guarded,  or  unusually  dull. 

These  female  seducers  are  not  all  professional 
prostitutes  by  any  means.  There  is  quite  an  army 
of  shop-girls  who  walk  our  streets  in  detachments  of 
one  or  two  night  after  night.  Our  commissioners  re¬ 
port  them  on  every  hand.  Sometimes  the  stories  of 
'heir  hard  lives  have  been  learned  by  questioning, 
forking  for  $5  a  week  how  could  they  live  health¬ 
fully  and  clothe  themselves  decently.  After  paying  two 
dollars  a  week  for  room  and  fifteen  cents  a  meal  for 
three  meals  a  day  there  is  not  much  left  for  clothing 
and  the  other  necessaries  of  life.  Poor  girls,  our  hearts 
bleed  for  them.  They  are  to  be  pitied  and  sympathized 
with.  Their  woes  ought  to  commend  them  to  the 
ioving  care  of  Christian  fathers  and  mothers,  brothers 
and  sisters.  But  instead,  we  crowd  to  the  bargain 
counters  like  flocks  of  silly  sheep,  eagerly  anxious  to 
purchase  the  things  we  do  not  need,  and  yet,  which 
sold  at  the  low  price  they  are,  still  further  reduce  the 
wages  of  these  already  almost  starving  work-girls.  God 
forgive  us  all  for  our  selfishness. 

Many  a  girl  working  in  a  store  in  Chicago,  stands 
at  a  counter  all  day,  and  then,  when  the  shades  of  night 
fall  over  the  business  centers,  walks  the  streets,  solicit¬ 
ing  the  passers-by.  There  are  any  number  of  hotels 
where  for  a  small  sum  a  room  may  be  obtained,  and 
these  poverty-stricken  ones,  almost  driven  to  despera¬ 
tion  by  their  wretched  condition,  are  constrained  to 


90 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


use  this  apparently  easy  method  for  adding  to  their  in¬ 
comes. 

How  awful  ’ ti s  that  bread’s  so  dear, 

When  flesh  and  blood’s  so  cheap. 

And  more  awful  when  we  contemplate  that  to 
many  the  only  way  open  whereby  they  may  purchase 
bread  and  butter  is  by  the  sale  of  their  bodies  and  souls- 

We  have  spoken  of  girls  receiving  for  wages  $5 
a  week,  but  there  are  many  who  are  not  paid  even  thi* 
miserable  pittance.  One  large  store  in  this  city  pays 
competent  girls  from  $2.50  to  $3.50  per  week,  and  these 
are  fair  wages  for  ordinary  counter  girls.  In  the  fac¬ 
tories  too,  such  fearfully  small  wages  are  paid,  that  the 
words  of  Annie  Besant  become  a  stern  indictment  of 
the  wrong  economic  principles  upon  which  our  busi- 
nesess  are  conducted.  She  says:  “  Our  great  em¬ 
ployers  build  homes  for  fallen  women,  while  they  are 
manufacturing  them  in  their  factories.” 

It  is  all  very  well  for  people  who  know  nothing 
of  the  lives  of  these  poor  creatures  to  say,  “  they  should 
either  live  honest  or  starve,  maybe  drown  themselves..’’ 
Such  a  criticism  upon  them  implies  that  they  are 
possessed  of  the  fine  fibre  of  soul  without  which  one 
will  not — cannot,  starve  or  drown  one’s  self.  There 
are  but  few  Lucretius’  or  Virginius’.  Death  is  not  an 
easy  thing  to  face,  whether  it  be  the  slow  process  of 
starvation  or  the  more  rapid  transit  by  means  of  knife,, 
charcoal,  or  the  river,  and  when  it  becomes  a  question 
of  “  lose  your  virtue  or  die,”  the  number  of  those  who 
will  choose  the  lacter  are  very  few. 

The  wise  man  knew  the  human  heart  pretty  well 
when  he  wrote,  “  Skin  for  skin,  .all  that  a  man  hath 
will  he  give  for  his  life,”  even  though  that  life  is  ah 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


91 


vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  For  when  a  girl  accepts 
a  life  on  such  conditions  she  knows  it  is  but  to  accept 
that  dire  degradation  that  is  worse  than  vexation  of 
spirit — it  is  a  life  of  wretchedness,  misery  and  dishonor. 
And  they  accept  the  life  because  as  a  rule  they  are 
neither  logical  or  far-sighted.  As  Dr.  Andrew  F. 
Currier  says,  “  That  it  should  furnish  the  only  available 
means  of  preventing  starvation  in  those  who  are  will¬ 
ing  to  work,  is  too  frequently  a  fact  to  be  cast  aside  as 
mere  sentiment.  How  can  human  beings  live  on  the 
ridiculous  wages  which  some  forms  of  industry  yield? 
This  is  not  a  pleasant  table  of  alternatives  which  many 
a  poor  girl  with  scanty  wages  has  to  face — to  beg, 
steal,  starve,  commit  suicide,  or  turn  prostitute.” 

Oh  for  men  with  the  power  of  Moses,  the  strength 
of  Samson,  the  vigor  of  Gideon,  the  daring  of  Elijah 
and  the  courage  of  Isaiah  to  beard  the  giants  of  sloth 
and  selfish  indifference  in  their  dens,  and  with  eloquent 
whip  of  persuading  power  lead  them  to  make  some 
radical  reform  in  their  treatment  of  these  girls. 

Not  only  is  the  woe  of  their  lives  cast  upon  us,  but 
their  souls  will  assuredly  be  required  at  our  hands  un¬ 
less  we  seek  more  earnestly  to  do  our  bounden  duty  to 
them.  They  surely  ought  to  be  able  to  exchange  their 
labor  for  the  necessaries  of  life;  and  no  system  can  bear 
the  searching  light  of  justice  that  does  not  award  them 
this  meed  of  their  labor. 

Some  sections  are  devoted  almost  entirely  to  pro¬ 
fessional  prostitutes. 

On  the  West  Side  there  are  places  where  it  is  im¬ 
possible  for  a  man  to  walk  at  night  without  being 
openly  solicited,  and  in  passing  through  in  the  day  time 
there  are  ten  chances  to  one  that  if  he  gazes  in  the  direc- 


92 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


tion  of  the  house  windows,  gaily-dressed  and  gaudily- 
painted  44  sirens  ”  will  seek  to  lure  him  to  destruction. 
Some  of  the  girls  are  white  and  some  are  black,  but,  all 
alike  alas!  have  the  same  black  purpose  of  heart. 

In  one  section  on  the  South  Side  there  are  several 
regions  devoted  entirely  to  houses  of  prostitution.  In 
one  portion  there  are  from  forty  to  forty-five  houses. 
44  And,”  in  the  words  of  the  special  commissioner  who 
reports  this  section,  44  they  are  not  wretched  houses, 
speaking  of  destitution  and  want.  Oh,  no!  the  visitors 
generally  come  in  carriages,  and  I  have  counted  four¬ 
teen  carriages  at  one  time  in  this  one  block,  waiting 
for  the  4  lords  and  masters  of  creation  ’  who  had  gone 
into  the  4  snare  of  the  fowler  ’  within. 

44  One  night,  passing  by  here,  I  saw  four  well- 
dressed,  well-appearing  gentlemen  (?)  come  out  from 
a  house,  followed  by  the  four  girls  with  whom  they 
had  been  having  a  4  good  time,’  and  the  openness  of  the 
thing  seemed  to  be  nothing  extraordinary  to  them. 

44  The  major  portion  of  these  houses  are  4  gilded 
palaces.’  They  are  as  elegantly  decorated  and  elabor¬ 
ately  furnished  within  as  the  mansions  of  Michigan  and 
Prairie  avenues.  Fine  pictures,  bric-a-brac,  musical 
instruments,  elegant  curtains,  Persian  rugs  and  the 
like,  are  what  one  here  finds.” 

Such  houses  are  of  the  44  higher  ”  class.  They  are 
places  where  young  men,  and  business  men  too,  are 
frequent  visitors.  Our  commissioners  have  followed 

several  of  these  men  to  their  homes  on  the  avenues  and 

♦ 

boulevards,  where  their  families  were  doubtless  alto¬ 
gether  ignorant  of  their  sinfulness. 

Dr.  T.  De  Witt  Talmage  after  his  tour  of  explora¬ 
tion  into  the  haunts  of  vice  in  Brooklyn  and  New 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


93 


York  wrote  “all  the  sacred  rhetoric  about  the  costly 
magnificence  of  the  haunts  of  iniquity  is  apocryphal.” 
This  was  doubtless  true  of  the  places  he  saw,  but  it  is 
not  true  of  many  places  in  Chicago.  There  are  some 
houses  here  where  elegance  of  decoration,  etc.,  are  to  be 
met  with  that  would  charm  the  most  exacting  “ conos¬ 
cente  ”  and  from  which  even  disciples  of  Oscar  Wilde 
might  learn. 

As  to  the  patrons  of  these  places,  one  of  our  lady 
commissioners,  whose  life  for  many  years  has  been  de¬ 
voted  to  the  rescue  of  the  inmates  from  their  fearful 
life  of  shame  and  ruin,  thus  speaks  of  one  experience: 

“  In  calling  at  one  house,  the  housekeeper  in¬ 
formed  me  that  the  girls  were  nearly  all  out.  ‘But,’  said 

she,  ‘there’s  one  girl  in,  but - is  with  her.  He’s 

been  here  drunk  for  over  a  week. 

(  The  blank  can  be  filled  in  by  the  reader  to  apply 
to  a  millionaire  of  Chicago,  a  man  as  well  known  as  any 
one  of  the  recent  candidates  for  mayor,  and  a  leading 
society  man. ) 

“  Not  wishing  to  see  this  one  girl,  under  the  cir¬ 
cumstances,  I  left,  saying  I  would  call  again  later  on. 

“A  few  hours  later  I  returned,  and  as  I  approached 
the  door  one  of  the  girls  also  came  up,  to  whom  I  said, 
‘  Can  I  see  you  and  have  a  talk  with  you  for  a  little 
while?’ 

“  (Certainly,’  she  replied,  c  Come  in!  ’ 

“We  entered  the  house,  and,  instead  of  taking  me 
to  the  parlor,  where  I  was  accustomed  to  go  and  have 
my  talks  with  them,  she  took  me  up  two  flights  of 
stairs.  I  thought  she  was  going  to  her  own  room  so 
that  we  might  talk  alone  and  undisturbed,  but,  instead 
of  that  she  gently  rapped  at  a  door.  As  it  was  opened, 


94 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


I  was  somewhat  alarmed  to  find  it  in  semi-darkness.  I 
had  never  been  in  a  4  tight  place  ’  in  any  of  my  previous 
visitations  to  these  houses,  and  thought  4  surely  they 
don’t  mean  to  entrap  me,’  and  as  I  stood,  the  girl  urged 
me  to  enter.  I  refused;  when  another  girl,  in  an 
almost  nude  condition,  came  to  the  threshold  and  like¬ 
wise  desired  me  to  4  Come  in!  ’ 

44  As  she  did  so,  I  heard  the  voice  of  a  man  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  the  direction  of  the  bed,  talking  in  the 
thick,  heavy,  maudlin  tones  of  drunkenness.  This 
again  alarmed  me,  and  I  drew  back  in  horror  and  dis¬ 
gust,  when  the  inmate  of  the  room  sought  to  calm  my 

fear  by  saying,  4Oh  that’s  only - and  he’s  as 

drunk  as  a  fool.’ 

44  I  refused  to  go  into  the  room,  and  my  guide, 
therefore,  took  me  downstairs  to  the  parlor,  where,  by 
this  time,  several  of  the  girls  were  assembled. 

44  While  I  was  talking  to  them  the  girl  we  had  left 
upstairs  came  in.  She  was  in  an  almost  nude  state,  but 
was,  without  exception,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  crea¬ 
tures  my  eyes  had  ever  rested  upon.  Form,  figure, 
complexion,  hair,  eyes,  voice  and  manner  were  alike 
charming,  and  as  she  seemed  anxious  to  talk  with  me, 
the  interest  she  aroused  in  my  heart  was  met  with  a 
corresponding  confidence  in  her  manner  towards  me. 
When  she  learned  my  name  and  mission,  she  asked  if  I 

knew  Miss  B -  (the  president  of  the  Mission)  and  I 

then  learned  that  her  mother  was  a  member  of  the  same 

church  as  Miss  B - ,  and  that  this  poor  girl,  living  in 

such  abasement,  had  at  one  time  been  a  member  of  the 
Sunday  school  of  that  church.  Think  of  it!  Here  was 
a  child  whose  friends  lived  but  a  few  miles  from  where 
she  was,  and  yet  they  were  mourning  her  as  one 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


95 


4  worse  than  dead.’  And  the  vice  that  holds  her  in 
its  chains  is  allowed  to  spread  and  grow  almost  un¬ 
checked.  Few  are  the  efforts  being  made  by  any  one 
to  suppress  this  monster  evil  of  licentiousness,  and  it 
swallows  up  some  of  the  fairest  and  most  beautiful  of 
our  maidens. 

44  But  I  must  return  to  my  account  of  this  man  and 
his  victims.  A  few  days  later  a  girl  whom  I  had  res¬ 
cued  a  year  and  a  half  previously  from  her  sinful  life, 
came  to  my  rooms  in  order  to  confer  with  me  about 
taking  a  situation  that  had  recently  been  offered  to  her. 
I  thought  I  had  seen  her  on  the  streets  a  few  days  pre¬ 
viously  with  a  woman  of  whose  purity  and  honesty  of 
character  I  had  every  reason  to  be  suspicious,  and, 
therefore,  out  of  kindness  to  the  girl,  asked  her  if  that 
was  the  woman  who  had  been  the  means  of  getting  her 

the  situation.  She  replied,  4  Yes!  Mrs. - is  a  great 

friend  of  Mr. - (mentioning  the  name  of  the  man  I 

had  found  drunk  in  the  house  of  prostitution)  and  he 
has  offered  me  this  place.  He  is  very  kind  to  young 
girls,  and  when  they  are  poor  and  have  no  outfit,  he 
gives  it  to  them.’ 

44  This  only  confirmed  my  fears  as  to  the  danger 
the  poor  child  was  in,  and  I  begged  her  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  either  the  man  or  woman.  She  refused  to 
accept  my  counsel,  until,  as  a  last  resort,  I  told  her  what 
I  knew  of  this  man’s  character,  and  where  I  had  found 
him  a  few  days  before.  4  How  can  such  a  man  be  a 
true  friend  to  you?  ’ 

44  She  acknowledged  that  it  did  not  seem  as  if  he 
could,  and  gladly  gave  up  the  tempting  offer  but 
where  such  danger  lurked,  in  order  to  take  a  humbler 
but  far  more  safe  position. 


g6 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


“  Now,  perhaps,  some  will  say,  how  do  I  know 

the  girls  didn’t  lie  about  it’s  being  Mr. - who  was  in 

that  room? 

“  Let  me  explain.  Subsequently  I  was  in  that 
room  myself,  and  the  girl  whose  beauty  had  so  charmed 
me,  showed  me  his  photograph,  nailed  to  the  inner  door 
of  her  wardrobe,  a  large,  almost  life-size  head,  and  also 
showed  me  a  number  of  handsome  presents  he  had 
given  her.  And  I  thought  to  myself  when  I  saw  that, 
as  I  have  seen  other  photographs  of  Chicago  men  in 
such  vile  places,  ‘  what  would  their  families,  their 
churches,  and  society  in  general,  say,  if  they  knew  what 
I  know  ?  ’ 

“  Would  to  God  that  something  could  be  done  to 
keep  from  these  houses  men  of  apparent  respectability, 
and  of  family,  for  they  at  least  can  find  no  excuse  for 
visiting  these  vile  dens.” 

We  agree  with  our  commissioner.  Whatever 
apparent  reason  any  unmarried  men  may  have,  cannot 
be  pleaded  as  an  excuse  for  the  lustfulness  of  married 
men,  and  in  our  remedies  we  shall  suggest  what  ought 
to  be  done  with  such  cases. 

Do  not  let  our  meaning  be  misunderstood.  We  do 
not  intend  to  convey  the  idea  that  unmarried  men  have 
any  legitimate  excuse  for  visiting  harlots.  We  say 
most  emphatically  there  is  no  excuse  for  either  married 
or  unmarried  men.  We  asked  for  information  on  this 
matter  from  a  gentlemen  who  used  to  be  a  cab  driver 
in  Chicago,  but  who  is  now  a  prominent  official  in  one 
of  the  leading  religious  organizations  of  this  city  and 
county,  and  he  reports  as  follows: 

“  A  prominent  hotel-keeper  of  this  city  once  en¬ 
gaged  me  to  drive  to  a  certain  house  on  the  North  Side. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


97 


Soon  after  we  got  there,  he  came  out  accompanied  by 
a  beautiful  young  lady.  Then  he  told  me  to  drive 

around - Park,  and  said  in  a  whisper  I  needn’t  hurry, 

I  might  take  my  time.  After  I  had  driven  around  the 

park  several  times  he  told  me  to  take  them  to - 

(mentioning  a  house  I  well  knew  as  a  high-toned  as¬ 
signation  house).  This  interested  me  in  what  he 
wished  to  do.  As  we  drove  along  he  began  to  force 
matters  with  the  young  lady,  and  she  scresmed  so  loud 
that  a  policeman  ran  into  the  road  to  stop  me.  But  I 
whipped  up  my  horse  and  managed  to  evade  him. 
When  we  got  to  the  house,  he  went  inside,  alone,  and 
soon  returned  with  the  madame  whom  he  introduced  as 

his  friend,  Mrs. - .  The  two  then  tried  to  persuade 

the  girl  to  go  inside,  but  for  some  reason  or  other  she 
wisely  refused.  Mr.  Hotel-keeper  then  told  me  to 
drive  her  home,  and  went  off  himself,  when  he  doubt¬ 
less  told  his  wife  he  had  been  detained  with  very  i  ur¬ 
gent  business.’ 

“Another  time  I  was  standing  with  my  cab  when 
two  well-dressed  young  men  came  to  me  and  said  they 
were  up  from  a  neighboring  city,  and  were  here  to 
c  paint  the  town  red.’  They  wanted  me  to  drive  them 
where  they  could  get c  something  young.’  I  took  them 
to  one  of  tho  leading  sporting  houses  in  the  city,  and 
soon  afterwards  they  came  out  accompanied  by  two 
beautiful  young  girls  who  could  not  have  been  more 
than  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age.  I  first  of  all 
took  them  to  the - at  that  time  a  noted  place  in  Chi¬ 

cago  where  most  respectable  ladies  and  gentlemen 
would  go  and  sip  their  wine,  little  imagining  that  they 
were  in  one  of  the  worst  resorts  of  the  city. 

“  After  they  had  caroused  there  awhile,  they  asked 


98 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


me  to  drive  them  out  to  a  fancy-house  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  city,  and  after  spending  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
night  there  in  lustful  pleasure,  keeping  me  waiting  all 
the  time,  the  young  men  told  me  to  take  them  back  to 
their  hotel,  and  the  girls  to  the  place  from  which  I  had 
fetched  them.  I  did  so. 

“  When  I  got  to  the  girls’  home,  they  were  both 
sound  asleep,  and,  as  the  early  morning  sun  shone  on 
their  fair  young  faces,  tears  came  into  my  eyes,  and 
rolled  down  my  cheeks,  hardened  man  as  I  was,  at  the 
thought  that  young  men  demand  the  sacrifice  of  the  » 
lives,  the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  such  girls  as  these,  in 
order  that  their  lustful  and  evil  passions  may  be 
gratified.” 

This  report  leads  us  to  the  next  inquiry,  which  we 
must  treat  as  briefly  as  possible,  viz:  From  whence 
comes  the  great  army  of  prostitutes?  As  the  old  ones 
die,  where  are  the  new  ones  found? 

Would  to  God  that  men  would  ask  themselves  this 
question,  and  then  carefully  seek  an  answer. 

Many  are  decoyed  into  such  houses;  more  go  there 
after  being  betrayed.  They  have  lost  caste,  they  are 
disgraced,  and  they  think  there  is  no  other  door  open 
to  them.  Luther’s  words  are  indeed  true,  even  to-day, 
three  centuries  after  they  were  uttered,  “  This  is  a  hard 
world for  girls .” 

Hundreds  of  girls  can  be  found  to-day  in  this  city — 
indeed  they  are  passing  through  the  hands  of  our  com¬ 
missioners  daily — in  private  houses,  Mission  rooms, 
hospitals,  and  poor-house,  who  have  been  betrayed 
under  promise  of  marriage ,  and  then  deserted  by  the 
execrable  wretches  who  thus  traded  upon  the  too  great 
love  of  a  true-hearted  woman. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


99 


Betrayed,  soon  to  become  mothers,  cast  out  by 
friends,  looked  upon  as  sources  of  contamination  in 
the  Church  of  Christ,  where  they  should  be  cared  for 
and  protected,  they  feel,  as  many  of  them  have  ex¬ 
pressed  it  in  words,  “  My  womanhood  was  gone,  and  I 
could  do  no  other  than  go  to  the  bad.”  And  to  the 
bad  they  accordingly  went,  victims  of  a  cruel  and  un¬ 
just  social  law  which  condemns  the  woman,  but  ex¬ 
cuses  the  man. 

Whoever  studies  this  problem  will  be  surprised  to 
find  how  many  girls  there  are  who  are  forced  into  this 
life  because  of  their  too  trustful  disposition.  Christian 
and  infidel  writers  alike  agree,  for  investigation  com¬ 
pels  the  making  of  such  a  statement.  From  a  recent 
number  of  a  Chicago  free-thinking  journal,  we  take  the 
following  extract  which  eloquently  expresses  the  above 
fact : 

“  My  pen  pauses.  It  will  not  move  on.  I  cannot 
write  of  your  ruin.  I  can  only  remember  how  you 
looked,  an  innocent  girl,  with  your  tender  sweet  face, 
your  red  lips  and  golden  hair.  You  were  seventeen 
then,  as  spotless  as  the  lily  that  lifts  itself  on  its  grace¬ 
ful  stem  to  the  warm  kisses  of  the  glowing  sun.  I 
know  how  you  fell.  He  paid  the  fine.  He  saved  you 
from  entering  that  fearful  prison  den.  I  can  under¬ 
stand  your  gratitude.  I  know  that  you  were  a  woman. 
It  was  so  sweet  to  beloved.  You  believed  in  him.  I 
understand  how  it  came  to  you  gradually,  that  he  was 
a  monster,  an  inhuman,  heartless  wretch,  more  terrible 
than  a  wild  beast  in  the  forest.  The  latter  would  crush 
your  white  bones,  would  devour  you  at  once.  This 
other,  this  horrid  human  vulture  that  fattens  on  the 
degradation  of  his  victims,  slowly  drained  the  last  bit  of 


IOO 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


innocence  and  purity  from  your  woman’s  soul.  He 
tired  of  you.  You  went  down — down!  Where  else 
could  you  go?  Up  and  down,  when  considered  in  rela¬ 
tion  to  men  and  women  are  not  merely  relative  terms. 

“  And  when  they  brought  you  into  that  police 
court  again  and  again,  he,  this  man,  always  stepped 
forward  and  paid  the  fine.  And  again  and  again  you 
were  forced  into  the  street  to  ply  your  wretched  voca¬ 
tion;  and  into  his  coarse,  brutal  hand  your  pretty  white 
fingers  passed  the  shining  gold.  You  were  young  and 
beautiful  and  possessed  a  market  value,  and  this  man, 
as  was  so  coarsely  said,  ‘was  in  luck.’  And  the  great 
State,  the  mighty  corporation,  was  in  luck,  too!  You 
and  thirty  thousand  more  constituted  its  revenue.  It 
lived  off  you — paid  its  officers,  run  its  Justice  shop!” 

There  are  doubtless  some  who  live  this  life  because 
of  their  own  wicked  inclinations,  but,  we  assure  our 
readers  that  this  number  is  far  less  than  they  could 
possibly  imagine. 

Some  are  driven  to  it  as  we  have  before  shown; 
and  Dr.  Currier  thus  speaks  of  others:  “  I  believe  that 
women  are  less  influenced  by  uncontrollable  sexual  de¬ 
sire  than  men.  It  is  not  usually  this  which  is  a  leading 
motive  to  a  life  of  prostitution.  Many  women  are  fore¬ 
doomed  to  such  a  career.  Their  early  training  has 
been  bad  or  wholly  neglected;  their  home  surroundings 
have  been  vicious.  In  the  homes  of  drunkards,  thieves 
and  prostitutes,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  educate  children 
in  the  ways  of  virtue.  Thousands  of  women  go  from 
such  homes  to  practice  prostitution,  or  perhaps  practice 
it  within  their  homes,  with  no  consciousness  of  its  im¬ 
morality.  Without  a  conception  of  morality  how  can 
there  be  a  knowledge  of  its  violation?” 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


IOI 


Our  cabman  commissioner  strikes  the  key-note  to 
many  a  woman’s  ruin  in  the  following  report: 

“  One  evening  I  was  standing  with  my  cab,  when 
two  well-dressed  ladies  stepped  up  to  me  and  asked  me 

to  drive  them  to - Avenue.  They  would  not  tell 

me  the  number,  and  I  saw  at  once  they  had  been 
drinking  very  heavily.  We  had  not  gone  far  before 
they  became  hilarious  and  excited,  and  broke  all  the 
windows  of  the  cab.  Then  they  began  to  quarrel  about 
a  diamond  pin,  and  made  so  much  noise  that  an  officer 
came  to  the  center  of  the  road,  stopped  my  horses,  and, 
getting  into  the  cab,  ordered  me  to  drive  to  the  police- 
station,  which  I  did. 

When  we  arrived,  the  ladies  were  relieved  of  their 
diamonds,  gold  watches,  jewelry  and  money,  and  were 
locked  up  in  a  cell  where  there  was  nothing  on  which 
to  sit  or  lie  except  a  bench. 

“  I  wanted  my  pay,  but  was  told  by  the  officer  in 
charge  to  be  at  the  station  the  next  morning,  when  it 
would  be  given  to  me. 

“  I  appeared  at  the  stated  time,  but  was  then  in¬ 
formed  that  the  ladies  were  released  on  bail  and  that  I 
must  get  an  order  from  them  ere  1  could  be  paid.  I 
got  their  address,  went  to  the  house  and  was  admitted 
after  considerable  talk.  To  my  painful  surprise  I 
learned  that  both  ladies  were  married:  one  had  a  sweet, 
little  baby  girl,  not  more  than  six  months  old  who  had 
been  alone  all  night  while  her  mother  was  on  her 
drunken  spree.  These  ladies  lived  in  a  very  aristo¬ 
cratic  part  of  the  city,  and  their  neighbors  would  never 
suspect  that  they  ever  did  such  a  thing  as  get  drunk.” 

In  this  case  they  were  mercifully  kept  from  un¬ 
chastity,  but,  in  too  many  cases  with  which  we  are 


102 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


familiar,  such  escapades  have  ended  in  the  assignation 
house,  the  divorce  courts,  the  life  of  shame,  and  finally, 
the  dishonored  grave. 

Here  is  a  case  which  was  heard  in  one  of  the  courts 
quite  recently: 

A  white  girl  was  found  in  a  negro  house  of  pros¬ 
titution.  She  was  the  daughter  of  wealthy  and 
respectable  parents.  Led  astray  and  deserted  she 
became  desperate  and  reckless,  and  was  sent  to  one  of 
the  rescue  homes  of  this  city,  from  which  she  escaped, 
to  finally  be  arrested  in  this  horrible  den,  where  she 
\yas  consorting  with  the  vilest  kind  of  negroes.  Taken 
to  the  place  in  a  state  of  semi-intoxication,  by  some 
man  whom  she  had  picked  up  on  the  streets,  she  was 
kept  in  that  condition  all  the  time  she  was  there,  and  we 
can  well  imagine  her  horror  at  awaking  to  find  herself 
in  jail.  Full  of  remorse,  her  bitterness  was  increased 
tenfold,  when,  on  going  into  court,  she  found  her 
mother,  who  had  been  telegraphed  for.  Sobbing  and 
crying  she  begged  the  maternal  forgiveness,  which 
with  true  love  was  freely  and  fully  given. 

When  our  commissioner  saw  the  girl,  she  was 
alone  in  her  misery,  in  the  cell  of  the  criminal,  held  by 
the  law  as  a  witness  against  the  keepers  of  the  dive 
into  whose  hellish  place  she  had  been  entrapped  by  evil 
machinations.  There  she  lay  on  her  narrow  cot,  sobbing 
piteously  in  her  pain  of  body,  and  far  worse  anguish  of 
soul,  praying  for  death  to  relieve  her  of  a  life  that  had 
become  painful  to  be  borne. 

Thus  it  is  that  women  enter  these  houses.  Many 
would  flee  from  them,  if  they  knew  where  to  go  to  gain 
an  honest  living,  where  they  would  not  constantly  be 
taunted  by  reminders  of  their  former  sinful  life.  There 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


103 


are  to-day  in  our  hospitals  many  poor  girls,  sent  there 
diseased  and  wretched,  who  would  never  return  to  their 
fearful  occnpation  did  they  but  know  of  some  other 
place  where  they  might  go.  But,  without  character, 
without  friends,  without  money,  without  anything,  in 
fact,  except  the  desire  to  flee  to  a  purer  life,  their  path¬ 
way  seems  hedged  in  on  every  hand,  so  that  a  return  to 
their  old  courses  seems  to  be  the  onlv  alternative  for 

a. 

them. 

Take  the  following  words  of  Lyman  Abbott’s, 
change  the  word  “  man  ”  into  “  woman  ”  and  in  the 
first  three  ways  of  treating  a  fallen  woman  you  have 
key-notes  to  much  of  the  sin  and  misery  existing  in 
Chicago  houses  of  prostitution. 

“  There  are  four  ways  of  treating  sinful  man;  four 
ways  in  which  men  actually  do  treat  sinful  men;  the 
way  of  the  wolf,  the  way  of  the  bison,  the  way  of  the 
bee,  and  the  way  of  Christ. 

uWhen  a  wolf  in  the  pack  falls,  all  the  other 
wolves  pounce  on  him  and  tear  him  to  pieces.  And  that  is 
the  way  some  treat  a  man  that  has  gone  wrong.  They 
pull  him  down,  tear  him  from  shoulder  to  shoulder,, 
rend  him,  roll  his  iniquity  like  a  sweet  morsel  under 
their  tongues,  rejoice  in  his  iniquity ;  and  these  are  the 
very  men  who  are  afraid  that  forgiveness  will  tend  to 
take  away  the  conditions  of  justice,  and  let  men  go  free. 

“  When  a  bison  falls  in  his  track,  the  bisons  do  not 
turn  upon  him  and  rend  him ;  they  leave  him  alone 
and  sweep  on  in  their  course.  And  that  is  the  second 
way  men  treat  a  man  gone  wrong.  Put  him  in  jail^ 
turn  the  key  on  him,  bury  him  in  oblivion,  forget  him. 
and  the  great  tide  of  life  sweeps  on.  It  is  the  indiffer 
ence  and  unconcern  of  absolute  selfishness. 


104 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


“  Then  there  is  the  way  of  the  bee.  When  the 
drones  get  too  numerous,  and  cannot  be  endured  any 
longer,  the  bees  turn  upon  them  and  sting  them  to 
death,  and  then  shove  them  out  of  the  hive.  So  long 
as  sin  is  not  very  troublesome,  leave  it  alone:  when  it 
takes  such  shape  as  to  threaten  our  hive  we  will  get 
rid  of  it,  and  then  we  will  go  on  making  our  honey. 

“  The  way  of  the  wolf,  the  way  of  the  bison,  the 
way  of  the  bee  and  the  way  of  Cnrist. 

“We  have  two  stories  in.  the  Bible,  of  women 
taken  in  adultery.  One  in  the  Old  Testament,  through 
whom  a  javelin  was  thrust,  and  she  died  instantly;  and 
again  of  the  sinner  in  the  New  Testament  to  whom 
Christ  spake  the  gracious  words  of  hope  and  forgive¬ 
ness.  Which  of  these  stories  has  had  the  greater  effect 
in  the  purification  of  humanity?  I  doubt  not,  do  you?” 

“  How  many  prostitutes  are  there  in  Chicago?  ” 

This  is  a  most  difficult  question  to  answer.  Some 
years  ago,  the  pastor  of  one  of  the  leading  churches  of 
the  city  made  the  assertion  that  there  were3o,ooo  pros¬ 
titutes  in  Chicago.  This  estimate  was  undoubtedly  an 
exaggerated  one;  yet,  had  it  included  all  those  who  are 
habitually  unchaste  in  this  city,  it  would  have  been 
nearer  the  mark  than  most  people  would  imagine. 

All  estimates,  however,  must  be  more  speculative 
than  mathematical.  We  can  tell  how  many  open 
houses  there  are  in  certain  regions.  For  instance,  in 
one  section  there  are  from  40  to  45,  in  another  about  35 
to  40,  and  in  yet  another  from  10  to  a  dozen,  and 
so  on  all  over  the  city.  The  number  of  the  inmates 
varies.  Some  have  two  or  three,  others  have  as  many 
as  25,  and  in  a  few  cases  even  more. 

We  are  perfectly  safe  in  affirming  that  there  are 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


105 


more  houses  of  prostitution  and  assignation  in  Chicago 
than  there  are  churches.  Solomon  spoke  of  the  former 
as  “the  way  of  hell,” — his  father,  David,  designated 
the  latter  as  “  gates  of  heaven.”  Painful  it  is,  that 
there  are  more  open  ways  to  hell  than  there  are  open 
gates  to  heaven. 

The  churches  are  open  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
week,  the  houses  of  vice  never  close;  they  are  open 
from  one  year’s  end  to  another.  Eternally  vigilant  in 
their  soul  and  body-destroying  work,  they  emphasize 
the  Nazarene’s  statement  that  “  the  children  of  this 
world  are  in  their  generation  wiser  than  the  children  of 
light.”  They  never  sleep;  and  thus  the  seductive 
temptations  are  ever  kept  before  the  sons  of  men. 

And,  alas,  too  many  of  the  young  and  innocent  arfc 
entrapped  by  these  dragons  of  death,  as  a  succeeding 
portion  of  this  chapter  will  too  sadly  show. 

Referring  to  those  who  are  “  habitually  unchaste,” 
the  prostitutes  themselves  are  very  bitter  against  those 
who,  for  pleasure  only,  are  walking  in  paths  of  sin. 
One  of  our  commissioners  writes  the  following: 

“  A  startling  statement  is  being  made  openly  by 
the  inmates  of  houses  of  prostitution — and  we  have 
some  facts  that  confirm  it,  horrible  though  it  be — and 
that  is,  that  their  “  business  ”  is  being  taken  from  them 
by  married  women;  women  with  good  homes,  and  ap¬ 
parently  respectable,  who,  just  to  gratify  unholy  pas¬ 
sion,  give  themselves  into  the  hands  of  the  seducers 
who  would  otherwise  come  to  their  houses  of  prostitu¬ 
tion.” 

This  statement  would  not  have  found  its  way  into 
the  pages  of  this  book  on  the  mere  charge  of  harlots, 
but,  unfortunately  and  unhappily,  our  commissioners 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


106 

are  in  possession  of  information  which  goes  to  con¬ 
firm  it. 

Then,  too,  there  is  a  large  number  of  shop  and 
office-girls,  who  walk  the  streets  at  night,  and  take 
their  company  into  the  many  assignation  houses  and 
“  European”  hotels,  in  order  that  they  may  add  to  the 
miserable  pittance  they  receive  for  their  legitimate 
labor  of  the  day. 

Hence,  whilst  no  accurate  figures  can  be  given, 
v  there  are  enough  of  souls  going  down  to  death,  and 
dragging  others  with  them,  to  make  every  true  man 
and  woman  in  Chicago  stand  aghast  in  horror  when 
they  think  of  the  spectacle  thus  presented. 

There  are  several  keepers  of  houses  of  prostitution 
m  Chicago  who  have  accumulated  wealth.  Their 
commercial  instincts  are  developed  to  an  extraordinary 
degree,  but  how  fearful  the  character  of  their  mer¬ 
chandise!  They  buy  the  bodies  and  souls  of  young 
girls,  and  sell  them  again  for  gain.  To  make  money 
is  their  sole  aim,  and  many  a  poor  girl’s  remains  lie 
in  a  dishonored  grave,  brought  there  by  the  a  com¬ 
mercial  instincts”  of  these  Jezebels. 

One  of  the  most  wealthy  of  the  class  in  Chicago 
boasts  her  philanthropy  and  charity.  She  sneers  at  the 
petty  contributions  of  Christian  women  to  worthy 
objects,  and  proudly  calls  attention  to  her  own  dona¬ 
tions. 

Like  Ahab’s  Jezebel  she  can  well  afford  to  buy 
up  vineyards  and  give  them  away  to  others,  when  she 
traffics  in  human  souls  and  makes  wealth  out  of  the 
vices  of  men. 

These  women  simply  profess  to  accept  the  statement 
of  those  men,  lay  and  professional,  and  even  ecclesi- 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


107 


astical,  who  assert  that  prostitution  is  a  “  necessary 
evil.”  It  is  not  our  intention  here  to  argue  this  pro¬ 
position.”*  We  simply  deny  it  most  emphatically,  on 
any  and  every  ground.  Such  a  statement  is  neither 
true  to  nature,  science  or  morality.  All  are  bitterly 
opposed  to  prostitution  in  any  and  every  form. 

We  will  dismiss  the  matter  at  this  time,  merely  in¬ 
troducing  the  following  comment  upon  the  subject 
taken  from  our  cabmen  commissioner’s  report:  “  Men 
talk  about  prostitution  being  a  6  necessary  evil.’ 

“  When  I  was  cab  driving  and  would  be  standing 
in  front  of  one  of  these  houses  waiting  for  my  ‘fare,’  who 
was  inside,  I  used  to  count  young  men  by  the  dozen 
going  into  the  places.  Some  of  them  whom  I  knew 
I  have  watched,  and  have  seen  them  come  to  a  sad 
end.  I  have  one  young  man  in  mind  now  as  I  write, 
who  got  so  low  with  disease  that  he  jumped  into  the 
river,  glad  to  end  his  miserable  life — all  caused  by  this 
‘  necessary  ’  evil.  He  not  only  threw  his  own  life 
away,  but  threw  a  dark  cloud  over  a  whole  family. 

“  Another  I  knew,  who  was  as  bright  and  promis¬ 
ing  a  young  man  as  one  would  see  in  a  day’s  walk.  I 
saw  him  go  steadily  down,  until  to-day  he  has  lost  the 
respect  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  has  brought  the 
deepest  sorrow  over  his  whole  family. 

“  Another,  who  came  from  a  good  family,  who, 

*  It  is  the  purpose  of  our  chief  commissioner  to  write  a  book 
upon  this  subject,  giving  the  history  of  prostitution  from  threadiest 
ages  of  the  world;  the  sexual  morality  of  all  countries  and  all  times; 
the  restrictive  methods  of  license,  etc.,  followed  in  Europe  and  else¬ 
where.  He  will  discuss  the  question  of  its  “necessity,”  and  the 
wisdom  of  “licensing”  it.  The  book  will  be  an  exhaustive  study 
of  the  whole  problem,  and  will  be  published  by  subscription.  For 
full  particulars  address  the  publisher  of  this  book. 


io8 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


poor  fellow,  after  seeing  that  he  could  no  longer 
master  his  base  appetite  and  low  desires,  and,  being 
diseased,  put  a  revolver  to  his  forehead,  and  thus  ended 
his  miserable  life.  These  caused  by  this  ‘necessary  evil.’ 

“What  a  shame  that  men  in  this  enlightened  age  of 
the  world  will  not  do  something  to  stop  this  evil. 
These  places  should  be  guarded,  and  every  man  caught 
going  there  should  be  severely  whipped. 

“If  a  man  would  realize  that  when  he  goes  to  a 
house  of  this  kind  he  is  as  good  as  saying:  ‘  I  approve 
of  this,  and  to  night  I  demand  that  some  young  girl 
must  give  up  her  innocent  life,  leave  her  home,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  die  in  a  miserable  and  degraded  state, 
all  to  satisfy  my  lust;’  he  would  then  see  the  awful¬ 
ness  of  this  ‘necessary  evil  ’  and  pray  earnestly  to  be 
delivered  from  its  power.” 

We  now  turn  to  one  of  the  most  painful  phases  of 
this  whole  question,  and  that  such  facts  as  we  present 
can  be  true  is  one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  human  life. 
That  they  are  facts,  is  the  only  apology  we  offer  for 
exposing  them,  and  giving  a  needed  note  of  warning. 

“If  ye  hear  without  a  blush 
Deeds  to  make  the  roused  blood  rush 
Like  red  lava  through  your  veins, 

For  your  sisters  now  in  chains; 

Tell  me  are  ye  fit  to  be 
Fathers  of  the  brave  and  free?  ” 

In  one  of  the  Chicago  morning  papers  of  last 
February,  a  perfectly  harmless-looking  advertisement 
appeared,  to  the  effect  that  a  “  gentleman  wanted  an 
American  girl  of  from  14  to  16  years  of  age  to  do 
housework  in  return  for  fair  wages,  education  in  music, 
etc.” 

A  widowed  mother  of  this  city,  living  alone  with 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


109 


her  two  daughters — one  13,  the  other  about  16 — saw 
this  advertisement,  and  thinking  it  would  be  a  help  to 
her  in  the  hard  battle  of  life,  as  well  as  an  aid  to  her 
growing  girl,  had  the  child  answer  it.  She,  poor  woman, 
earned  her  livelihood  by  scrubbing  out  saloons,  working 
in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  and  the  late  night  to 
gain  the  scanty  pittance  upon  which  the  trio  existed. 

A  week  after  the  letter  was  written,  a  well-dressed, 
elderly  gentleman  called  at  the  humble  home,  and  on 
seeing  the  girl,  grew  quite  enthusiastic  over  her.  “  She 
would  just  suit  him ;  just  the  very  kind  of  girl  he 
wanted!  Yes,  they  were  poor,  but  if  she  would  only 
please  him,  he  would  help  them  considerably,  and  they 
should  never  know  poverty  again!  She  would  be  a 
lovely  girl  when  well  dressed,”  etc. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  girl  should  accept  the 
situation,  and  go  at  a  later  date.  She  was  to  receive 
$2.50  per  week,  be  allowed  to  go  to  school,  and  was  to 
have  a  musical  education.  The  mother,  her  suspicions 
scarcely  aroused  by  such  an  apparently  fatherly  man, 
who  had  quite  a  budget  of  recommendations,  asked 
who  composed  his  household.  The  reply  was:  “  My 
wife  is  dead,  and  I  live  alone  with  my  only  daughter.” 

A  few  days  later  the  old  man  came  for  the  girl. 
In  the  meantime,  the  mother’s  suspicions  had  been 
aroused,  and  she  rather  demurred;  but  he  assured  her 
there  could  be  no  danger,  and  rather  reluctantly  she 
consented,  and  the  girl  went  with  him  to  her  new  home. 

And  now  we  let  our  commissioner  relate  the  story 
exactly  as  it  was  told  by  the  girl: 

“  When  we  got  on  the  cars  he  held  on  to  me  in  a 
way  that  made  me  feel  as  if  everybody  in  the  car  would 
be  looking  at  us.  It  was  rather  late  when  we  got  to 


1 10 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


his  house,  and  I  found  his  daughter  was  a  lady  of,  I 

should  say,  30  years  of  age.  After  I’d  had  something 

♦ 

to  eat,  she  went  to  bed,  and  then  the  old  man  came  to 
me  and  wanted  me  to  sit  on  his  lap.  I  told  him  I 
wanted  to  go  to  bed,  and  I  would  like  him  to  show 
me  my  room.  He  said,  I  should  occupy  a  room  with 
him.  ‘Indeed,  I’ll  do  no  such  thing,’  I  replied.” 

And  then,  to  show  the  unsophisticated  character 
of  the  girl,  she  went  on  and  recounted  the  dialogue 
which  followed,  in  which  he  told  her  that  he  didn’t 
want  a  “  public  girl,”  but  a  “  nice  girl,”  and  he  “didn’t 
see  why  she  should  n’t  be  willing  to  please  him  in  this 
regard.”  The  girl,  in  her  replies,  waxed  indignant, 
and  spoke  in  quite  a  loud  tone,  wishing  to  return  home, 
whilst  he  urged  her  to  be  quiet,  lest  his  daughter  should 
hear. 

Seeing  he  could  not  prevail  upon  the  child  to 
yield  to  his  base  purposes,  he  showed  her  to  her  room, 
where,  fortunately,  although  she  failed  to  lock  her 
door,  she  slept  in  security.  The  next  day,  early,  she 
demanded  that  he  take  her  home,  and  after  breakfast 
he  saw  her  a  portion  of  the  way  home. 

The  poor  mother  had  spent  a  sleepless  night,  be¬ 
cause  of  the  absence,  for  the  first  time,  of  her  child, 
was  glad  when  she  returned,  and  was  more  thankful 
than  words  can  tell,  after  hearing  her  story,  that  no  • 
harm  had  come  to  her. 

She  says  she  would  have  exposed  him  then  had 
she  had  money  to  do  so,  but  what  was  she  to  do,  alone 
and  helpless. 

It  is  for  the  purpose  of  warning  young  girls 
against  answering  such  speciously  worded  advertise¬ 
ments  that  this  incident  is  given. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


Ill 


We  have  now  in  our  possession  the  following 
letter,  which  was  sent  by  this  old  wretch  to  the  girl 
shortly  after  her  departure  from  his  house. 

Miss -  Chicago,  March  5,  1891. 

Have  not  heard  from  you.  I  told  you  to  write  after  a  day  or 
two.  If  you  thought  I  desired  to  drop  you,  you  made  a  mistake.  I 
wanted  you  to  put  a  little  more  confidence  in  me,  then  we  would 
both  be  happy.  Would  like  to  hear  from  you. 


A  few  days  later  still  another  letter  was  received, 
and,  when  our  commissioner  began  to  make  inquiries, 
another  child  was  found  to  whom  he  had  made  the 
same  proposals,  and  whose  parents  had  threatened  to 
expose  him.  In  one  of  the  letters  written  to  these 
latter  people,  he  said  that  if  any  harm  should  come  to 
the  child,  he  was  abundantly  able  to  take  care  of  her; 
and,  furthermore,  that  he  wanted  a  girl  whose  parents 
would  implicitly  trust  him,  and  not  worry  him  by  any 
suspicions  that  he  would  not  do  right  by  the  child. 

This  man  is  a  large  property  owner  in  Chicago, 
and  some  of  his  lady  tenants  have  learned  to  be  afraid 
of  him.  One  lady  never  allows  him  to  come  into  her 
house,  and  keeps  the  door  constantly  bolted  lest  he 
surprise  her.  These  facts  are  stated  to  show  the  gen¬ 
eral  reputation  the  man  has  in  the  neighborhood  where 
he  lives. 

Now,  suppose  the  parents  of  these  children  re¬ 
ferred  to  had  been  careless  as  to  the  morality  of  their 
children,  as,  alas!  many,  many  parents  are.  His  wealth 
would  have  purchased  their  acquiescence,  and  more 
girls  would  have  gone  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  44  ruined” 
of  this  great  city. 

This  is  but  one  of  many  similar  cases  with  which 


1 1  2 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


our  commissioners  are  fully  cognizant.  Here  is  a  man, 
himself  a  lawyer,  fully  acquainted  with  the  law,  and 
therefore  cautious  in  his  wickedness;  an  old  man,  past 
the  vigor  of  life,  and  possibly  incapable  of  criminally 
assaulting  a  young  girl,  and  yet,  who  finds  in  debauch¬ 
ing  these  children  of  tender  years  by  sexually  exciting 
them,  a  kind  of  sensual  pleasure  which  ministers  to 
his  base  and  depraved  appetite. 

There  is  another  man,  well  known  to  our  commis¬ 
sioners,  who  has  corrupted  eighteen  young  girls  of 
the  tender  years  of  from  eight  to  fourteen,  and  no 
one  knows  how  many  more. 

He  used  to  beguile  them  into  his  stopping-place, 
which  was  convenient  for  such  a  purpose,  being  near 
enough  to  the  public  street,  and  yet  away  from  close 
observation,  and  would  there  tamper  with  them.  All 
these  children  were  examined  by  physicians,  and  all 
were  found  to  have  suffered  from  his  bestial  hand¬ 
ling,  and  yet,  when  an  effort  was  made  to  punish 
him  by  proving  rape,  or  attempted  rape,  five  reput¬ 
able  physicians  of  this  city  went  upon  the  witness 
stand  and  swore  that  the  wretch  was  physically  in¬ 
capable  of  committing  a  rape — he  was  suffering  from 
“  senile  dementia.”  He  was  capable  enough  of  per¬ 
forming  all  the  onerous  duties  of  a  responsible  posi¬ 
tion,  requiring  some  activity  and  physical  vigor,  and, 
although  the  evidence  of  his  beguiling  the  girls  into 
his  den  and  tampering  with  them  was  absolutely  con¬ 
clusive,  it  was  found  impossible  to  convict  him,  owing 
to  the  insufficiency  of  the  law  to  deal  with  such  cases. 

The  Protective  Agency  has  repeatedly  been  sum¬ 
moned  into  court  for  the  protection  of  little  girls  from 
brutes,  who  apparently  have  no  fear  of  retribution. 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


”3 


Cannot  this  reproach  upon  our  boasted  nineteenth 
century  civilization  be  blotted  out?  May  it  not  come, 
that  public  sentiment  can  be  developed  that  will  force 
law  to  be  executed,  and  if  need  be,  amended,  so  that 
innocent  girls  of  infantile  age  may  not  fall  a  prey  to 
brutal  passion. 

The  evil  and  corrupting  influences  of  such  men 
cannot  be  estimated  by  any  of  the  conceptions  people 
generally  hold.  Those  who  are  fully  aware  of  the 
fearful  results  of  such  tampering  declare  that  the  hor¬ 
rible  results  that  accrue  from  this  physical  debasement 
are  far  worse  than  those  of  prostitution. 

Prostitution  is  a  fearful  vice  for  a  young  girl  to 
plunge  herself  headlong  into;  the  woes  and  horrors  of 
the  whirlpool  no  pen  can  ever  depict,  no  tongue  ever 
tell;  and  yet,  though  a  fearful  perversion  of  a  God- 
given  and  natural  function,  it  is  a  normal  use  of  the 
sexual  organs,  but  in  the  bondage  produced  in  the 
body,  mind  and  soul  by  these  other  practices,  where 
these  organs  are  used  abnormally ,  there  is  death  in¬ 
volved  from  the  very  inception  of  the  habit;  death  to 
everything.  The  body  loses  its  power,  the  mind  its 
strength,  and  the  soul  its  perceptions,  and  nothing  but 
the  open  grave  of  pollution  and  disease  stands  before 
the  poor  victim  of  such  practices. 

One  of  our  female  commissioners  says,  speaking  of 
this  foul  crime  against  the  bodies  of  young  girls:  “  It 
should  be  punished  more  severely  than  the  crime  of 
murder,  for  it  is  far  worse  than  murder.  There  is 
something  cleanly  and  kind  in  the  immediate  taking 
away  of  a  life,  horrible  and  awful  though  it  be,  but  in 
taking  a  young,  innocent,  tiny  child — for  I  have  heard 
the  story  from  the  lips  of  mere  children  of  a  few  years 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


1 14 

— and  arousing  in  her  the  sexual  instinct  which  should 
remain  dormant  for  many  years,  and  thus  implanting  in 
her  a  desire  for  unnatural  excitement,  which  means 
death  to  all  that  is  good  in  body,  mind  and  soul  in  her; 
such  a  crime  is  foul  and  detestable  beyond  the  power  of 
language  to  express.” 

The  necessity  for  some  change  in  the  law,  to  make 
it  possible  to  punish  those  who  seduce  young  girls,  is 
painfully  apparent  in  Chicago  to  those  who  observe. 

One  girl,  soon  to  become  a  mother,  only  a  few 
days  ago,  declared  she  did  not  believe  there  was  a  pure 
/nan  or  woman  in  existence.  This  statement  was  the 
natural  outcome  of  the  embitterment  of  her  life  caused 
by  her  betrayal  and  the  consequent  disgrace  heaped 
upon  her,  because  she  loved  much,  but  not  wisely. 

Another  poor  girl  speaking  of  the  man  who  had 
betrayed  her,  said,  “  I  hope  the  Lord  will  forgive  him. 
I  believe  he  will,  but  I  don’t  think  I  shall  live  long 
enough  to  do  so.” 

If  the  number  of  illegitimate  children  born  each 
year  in  this  city  was  given,  the  figures  would  astonish 
those  who  read  them.  A  visit  to  any  of  the  hospitals 
will  open  the  eyes  of  those  unacquainted  with  the  facts. 
Many  are  the  poor  babes  born  of  young  mothers  with¬ 
out  wedding-ring,  or  other  name  than  their  own  to 
bestow  upon  their  offspring.  In  the  County  Hospital, 
the  Infirmary,  St.  Luke’s,  the  Women’s  Hospital,  the 
Erring  Woman’s  Refuge,  the  Home  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  and  many  other  places,  these  waifs  of  sin 
and  sorrow  are  launched  into  life’s  troubled  sea,  handi¬ 
capped  for  the  race  before  them  in  the  very  start. 

Another  outcome  of  the  “social  evil”  is  the  mur¬ 
der  of  born  and  unborn  infants.  No  statement  of  this 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


“5 


evil  would  be  even  approximately  complete  that  failed 
to  present  the  truth  in  regard  to  this  latter  awful,  and 
peculiarly  American,  sin. 

We  are  not  prepared  to  give  definite  information 
exposing  the  horrors  of  the  “  baby-farming  ”  system  in 
Chicago,  but,  that  baby-farms  exist  here  there  is  no 
question.  Of  their  general  character  all  readers  are 
doubtless  aware. 

The  keepers  of  baby-farms  are  murderers  posing 
as  humanitarians.  Their  places  are  described  by  Mr. 
Elbridge  T.  Gerry  as  “  concerns  by  means  of  which 
persons  usually  of  disreputable  character,  eke  out  a  liv¬ 
ing  by  taking  two  or  three,  or  four  babies  to  board. 
They  are  the  charges  of  outcasts,  or  illegitimate 
children.  They  feed  them  on  sour  milk,  and  give  them 
paregoric  to  keep  them  quiet,  until  they  die.” 

In  New  York  there  is  a  law  compelling  them  to 
register,  but  in  Chicago  the  sole  register  of  them  is  kept 
by  the  devil,  and  he  keeps  the  account  to  himself; 
choosing  that  his  victims  shall  know  only  the  one  place 
he  sends  them  to  in  order  that  they  may  hide  their 
shame. 

There  are  such  “  homes”  in  Chicago,  where  poor, 
unfortunate  women  await  the  awful  hour  of  dishonored 
motherhood.  Their  offspring  fill  up  the  ranks  of  the 
babes  who  have  died  through  c;  inanition.” 

One  of  our  lady  commissioners  who  was  investi¬ 
gating  a  case,  visited  one  of  these  hell-holes,  and  the 
snappy,  suspicious  way  in  which  she  was  received, 
together  with  the  parting  warning,  “  Never  you  come 
again!”  showed  that  they  do  not  court  investigation, 
or  desire  that  enlightened  public  attention  should  be 
called  to  them  or  their  work. 


n6 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


Of  the  murder  of  44  unborn”  babes  much  might  be 
said.  Dr.  H.  S.  Pomeroy,  in  his  44  Ethics  of  Mar¬ 
riage,”  makes  the  following  fearful  charge:  44  It  would 
be  very  difficult  to  find  a  hamlet  in  the  country,  or  a 
street  in  a  city,  where  unborn  children  had  not  been 
destroyed  by  those  who  were  bound  by  every  law  of 
God  and  man  to  cherish  and  protect  them.” 

Again,  he  says:  44  A  vast  army  of  women  have 
gone  to  early  graves,  and  their  death  certificates  have 
read  4  hemorrhage,’  when  the  word  ought  to  have  been 
written  abortion!  Another  vast  army  of  women  who 
are  invalids — burdens  to  themselves  and  others — ought 
to  march  under  a  banner  bearing  the  same  shameful 
and  loathsome  word.” 

These  words  are  peculiarly  true  of  Chicago,  as  of 
all  large  centers,  where  the  desire  to  enjoy  44  society” 
life  overmasters  the  natural  home  instincts  of  woman¬ 
hood.  Dr.  Pomeroy  further  says: 

44  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  physician  has 
the  most  trouble  with  those  who  belong  to  the  lower 
classes.  These  give  comparatively  little  trouble  in  this 
way.  They  seldom  apply  to  the  reputable  physician, 
and  when  they  do  they  are  easily  refused.  The  real 
difficulty  comes  from  so-called  highly  respectable 
people,  even  from  leaders  in  social  and  religious  move¬ 
ments.  We  never  know  when  some  one  of  these  may 
not  implore  one  of  us,  as  a  family  physician,  to  do  that 
which  is  a  sin  before  the  law  of  God  and  man;  and 
when  to  the  entreaty  there  are  added  the  tears  and 
pleading  of  a  charming  woman,  the  situation  becomes 
embarrassing  and  unpleasant  in  the  extreme.  This 
seems  an  ungracious  thing  to  say,  especially  as  the  phy¬ 
sician  is  under  peculiar  and  delicate  bonds  to  respect 


THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 


ii  7 


*he  secrets  of  his  patrons.  But  the  time  is  already  past 
when  silence  could  be  a  virtue,  and  it  seems  as  though 
the  very  stones  would  cry  out  if  he  does  not  give  speedy 
warning  of  the  danger  which  threatens  our  social  life 
and  health.” 

The  police  records  show  that  men  and  women  are 
frequently  arrested  for  the  detestable  crime  of  procur¬ 
ing  abortion,  but  they  convey  only  the  faintest  idea  of 
its  extent.  The  perpetrators  and  their  victims  seldom 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  officers  of  justice. 

O  damnable  fiend  of  lust!  How  hateful,  how 
awful,  how  horrible  thou  art  in  thine  every  feature, 
when  thy  form  is  seen  by  the  clear  eye  of  purity.  Thy 
passions  are  hotter  than  a  thousand  furnaces — thy 
cruelty  more  relentless  than  that  of  any  Hindoo  mon¬ 
arch — thy  tortures  infinitely  more  exquisite  in  their  re¬ 
finements  of  anguish  than  ever  Spanish  inquisitor  or 
barbarous  Indian  inflicted — thy  stealth  more  crafty  than 
the  sleuth-hound — thy  hideousness  more  horrible  than 
gaunt-eyed  famine — thy  swift-dealing  destructiveness 
more  sure  than  earthquake  or  volcano — thy  end  more 
to  be  dreaded  than  death  in  battlefield  or  on  the  gallows. 

With  alluring  craftiness,  and  wisdom  gained  by 
centuries  of  exercise,  thou  best  in  wait  to  trap  and  slay 
the  fairest  of  Chicago’s  sons  and  daughters,  and  thou 
trailest  thy  serpent’s  slime  into  every  path  and  byway 
of  this  Garden  City  of  Lake  Michigan.  Would  to 
God  the  men  and  women  who  sweetly  move  in  fancied, 
though  false  security,  would  awaken  from  their  sleep, 
and,  fearlessly  hunting  thee  in  high  places  and  low, 
would  resolve  to  never  rest,  never  cease,  until  thou 
wert  for  ever  slain! 


Massage  Parlors. 


“  And  he  said  unto  me,  Go  in  and  behold  the  wicked 
abominations  they  do  here.  So  I  went  in  and  saw.” 

Ezekiel  viii:g  io. 

THE  “  massage”  department  of  the  social  vice  is 
one  that  has  only  sprung  into  existence  quite 
recently.  Our  investigations  in  this  line  will 
be  appalling  and  horrifying  to  those  who, like  ourselves, 
before  our  enlightenment,  looked  upon  the  massage 
parlor  as  a  perfectly  respectable  and  legitimate  place 
for  curative  purposes. 

And,  of  course,  there  are  good  massage  parlors, 
where  skilled  operators,  under  professional  guidance 
produce  the  most  beneficial  results;  and,  of  these,  we 
have  no  other  than  words  of  commendation. 

But,  like  all  things  else  that  are  good,  the  massage 
parlor  has  its  horrible,  vile,  unclean  and  bestial  counter¬ 
feit,  where  prostitution  in  the  gauziest  of  disguises  is 
rampant. 

In  one  of  the  leading  newspapers  of  this  city  al¬ 
most  a  whole  column  in  its  Sunday  issue  is  devoted  to 
advertisements  of  massage  parlors.  It  is  not  to  be  in¬ 
ferred  that  all  parlors,  thus  advertised,  are  evil.  We 
make  no  such  charge,  but,  in  order  to  be  sure,  ere  any 
of  them  were  denounced,  our  commissioners  visited 
several  and  in  every  case  with  the  same  results. 

Some  of  the  advertisements  have  a  clear  enough 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


119 

suggestion  in  their  very  wording.  Why  is  it  necessary 
to  advertise  that  “  this  is  the  only  Turkish  bath  in  the 
United  States  with  lady  attendants ,”  or,  that  “  great 
care  has  been  taken  to  make  these  parlors  attractive, 
vith  a  fleasing  corps  of  lady  attendants ,”  or,  that  “  ex - 
ferienced  lady  operators  will  soon  bring  the  rosy  blush 
of  health  to  faded  cheeks,  energy  and  vigor  to  the 
weary,  and  cause  the  vitality  of  life  (the  blood)  to 
tingle  with  pleasing  sensation  in  every  extremity  of  the 
human  anatomy — quiet  location,  luxuriantly  furnished 
apartments,  and  all  the  conventional  accompaniments 
expected  by  first-class  patronage  will  be  extended,”  or, 
•‘cosy  and  refined  massage  parlors,”  or,  another  which 
advertises  “new  operators,”  and  yet  another,  “operators 
entire  strangers  to  the  city.” 

We  take  the  reports  of  our  commissioners  and  bring 
them  together,  and  this  is  what  we  find: 

A  gentleman  desires  a  massage;  rings  the  bell  of 
che  house  and  is  ushered  into  the  parlor,  where  he  is 
courteously  received  by  the  manager  or  proprietor  of 
the  place,  who  is  generally  a  well-dressed,  pleasant- 
appearing  lady.  After  a  while  he  is  requested  to  step 
into  the  bath  parlor.  His  guide  knocks  at  the  door,  and 
when  opened,  he  is  introduced  to  Miss  Genevive,  or 
Miss  Marie,  or  Miss  Annette,  or  Miss  Somebody — the 
names  themselves  having  the  empyreuma  of  the  house 
of  prostitution  around  them.  The  room  into  which  we 
enter  is  simply  a  bedroom.  The  young  lady  operator 
closes  the  door  and  asks  her  visitor  whether  he  will 
have  a  tub-bath,  an  alcohol  rubbing,  dry  massage, 
cocoanut  oil  massage  or  some  other  bath.  If  he  pre¬ 
fers  the  tub-bath,  he  is  told  to  disrobe  where  he  is, 
The  young  lady  coolly  takes  her  seat  whilst  the  visitor 


120 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


doffs  his  clothes,  under-linen  and  all,  and  then,  throwing 
a  blanket  around  him,  the  operator  leads  him  to  the 
bath  tub  in  another  room.  Here,  just  as  indifferently 
as  if  she  were  scrubbing  clothes,  this  pure  maiden!! 
scrubs  the  strange  man  down,  and  dries  him  as  if  he 
were  a  month’s  old  baby. 

Returning  to  the  bedroom  the  visitor  lies  upon  the 
bed  and  is  rubbed  down  with  alcohol  or  the  dry  hand 
of  the  young  lady  operator.  Her  dress  is  generally  as 
simple  as  can  be,  a  very  short  skirt,  arms  bare,  and  a 
waist  that  fits  tightly  to  the  bust,  exposing  every 
voluptuous  line  of  the  body  to  the  eye  of  the  man. 
Now,  does  it  need  much  knowledge  of  life,  and  of  the 
passions  of  men,  to  see  how  very  easy  it  is  for  these 
places  to  be  the  very  chamber  of  death  to  the  purity  of 
many  a  young  man?  We  simply  affirm  what  we  be¬ 
lieve  no  man  will  deny,  when  we  say  that  with 
thousands  of  men,  both  young  and  old,  married  or 
single,  such  a  place  under  such  circumstances  would  ex¬ 
cite  sensual  desire  to  such  an  extent  that,  if  possible,  it 
would  be  satisfied. 

In  some  places  the  price  of  the  bath  does,  indeed, 
include  the  body  of  the  operator.  In  other  and  more 
“refined”  parlors  the  manager  of  the  bath  is  too 
cunning  to  run  any  such  risks.  She  pays  her  operators 
good  wages,  feeds  them  well,  pampers  their  every 
appetite,  and  keeps  them  “  slick  and  good-looking.’* 
She  receives  the  bath  fee,  and  then  the  girls  can  make 
whatever  they  choose  besides,  she  allowing  them  a  full 
hour  for  each  visitor. 

And  who  visits  such  places? 

Stand  and  watch,  and  to  one  house  we  will  show 
you  that  a  priest  and  a  protestant  minister  are  regular 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


I  2  I 


visitants;  at  another,  leading  business  men,  married  as 
well  as  single,  are  regular  patrons;  at  another,  young 
beardless  boys  who  come  out  showing  their  degrada¬ 
tion  on  their,  as  yet,  unhardened,  faces. 

And  this  is  going  on  every  day  in  every  week  in 
Chicago,  right  under  the  very  eyes  of  good  people  and 
they  know  nothing  of  it. 

Of  such  papers  as  advertise  these  infamous  resorts 
words  cannot  express  too  great  contempt.  They  charge 
an  extra  price  of  ten  cents  a  line  for  such  advertise¬ 
ments,  including  clarivoyants,  mediums,  quack  medi¬ 
cines  and  the  like. 

Why? 

If  a  massage  parlor  is  a  regular  and  legitimate 
business,  why  should  those  who  advertise  such  business 
be  charged  twenty-five  cents  a  line  for  advertisements, 
when  other  legitimate  businesses  are  only  charged 
fifteen  cents?  There  is  something  wrong  on  the  face 
of  it,  and  if  the  proprietors  of  such  papers  do  not  know 
that  they  are  giving  publication  to  the  advertisements 
of  harlots  and  abandoned  women  we  now  make  the 
definite  charge  that  they  are,  and  beg  them  to  thor¬ 
oughly  investigate  these  places  before  again  admitting 
such  advertisements  to  their  columns. 

It  is  not  a  rare  thing  to  see  in  the  columns  of  the 
daily  papers,  such  advertisements  as  these: 


w 


ANTED — A  good,  reliable  Girl  for  a  Massage 
Parlor. — Address  -  Office. 


A 


NY  Young  Lady  out  of  employment  will  find 
pleasant  work  and  good  wages  by  applying 


at  once  to 


Hundreds  of  people  who  live  in  the  city,  and  who 


122 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


are  well  acquainted  with  its  wiles,  would  see  nothing  at 
all  dangerous  in  these  advertisements;  and  to  thousands 
of  pure  girls  in  the  country  they  would  present  oppor¬ 
tunities  to  be  seized,  if  they  were  requiring  a  situation. 
But  when  we  assure  the  pure  and  the  innocent  that  in 
many  of  these  parlors  young  girls — u  good,  reliable 
girls  ” — are  required  to  give  baths  of  a  variety  of  kinds 
to  any  and  all  men  who  patronize  the  establishment, 
they  will  see  where  the  danger  and  horror  of  the  mas¬ 
sage  parlor  lies. 

Think  of  it!  A  young  girl,  fresh,  rosy,  bright, 
vivacious,  in  a  bathroom  alone  with  a  lustful  young 
man.  Talk  about  the  vileness  of  the  worship  of  Venus, 
Aphrodite,  Astarte,  Mylitta  and  Kybele!  Here  is 
something  equally  bad.  The  bath  made  the  pretext  for 
the  gratification  of  the  basest  sensuality. 

Not  long  ago  the  keeper  of  one  of  these  places 
applied  to  the  matron  of  a  mission  for  a  girl  to  work  in 
his  massage  parlors.  The  matron  was  unacquainted 
with  the  details  of  the  work,  and,  as  was  her  wont, 
asked  for  full  information.  When  told  that  the  girl 
was  expected  to  bathe  and  massage  men,  as  well  as 
women,  she  expressed  her  astonishment  at  such  a  sys¬ 
tem  being  in  vogue  in  Chicago,  when  the  applicant  for 
the  girl  replied  that  “  there  was  nothing  in  that — it 
was  as  common  as  could  be!” 

The  two  engaged  in  argument;  the  matron  seek¬ 
ing  to  show  the  danger  to  any  girl,  and  especially  to 
one  who  was  morally  weak,  in  such  a  position;  and  he, 
on  the  other  hand,  contending  that  she  had  a  wrong 
view  of  respectability  and  right, — a  girl  would  be  a 
“  woman”  anywhere  if  she  would  be — u  she  was  just 
as  safe  in  his  parlors  massaging  men  as  if  she  were 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


123 


selling  goods  in  a  store.”  He  had  had  one  girl  from 
the  mission,  and  she  had  been  “  steady  and  good,”  and 
he  wanted  another.  Needless  to  say,  the  girl  did  not  go. 

Here  is  a  statement  of  facts  which  can  be  verified 
if  necessary,  to  show  how  the  keepers  of  these  vile 
dens  trade  on  the  purity  of  their  victims. 

Not  long  ago,  one  of  the  Christian  institutions  of 
this  city  received  word  that  a  young  country  girl  was 
employed  in  one  of  these  places,  was  anxious  to  leave, 
but  did  not  know  how  to  get  away.  Help  was  asked 
for  her.  A  young  man  was  sent  to  find  out  what 
could  be  done.  He  went  to  the  massage  parlor  and 
saw  the  keeper,  who  told  him  he  could  have  a  good 
bath.  She  had  just  received  a  nice,  fresh  girl  from 
the  country,  who  would  suit  him  well.  He  paid  the 
price  asked,  went  into  the  bathroom,  and  there  stood 
chis  young  girl.  He  began  to  talk  with  her,  and  told 
her  she  need  not  be  afraid  of  him.  He  would  not 
harm  her.  The  poor,  trembling  girl,  realizing  that  he 
was  a  friend,  opened  her  heart  to  him,  and  said  she 
had  come  to  the  place  in  answer  to  an  advertisement 
similar  to  the  one  given  above.  She  was  to  board  with 
the  woman  of  the  house,  and  at  first  things  seemed  all 
right,  but  it  was  only  a  day  before  she  found  out  the 
real  character  of  the  house.  It  professed  to  be  a  bath 
and  massage  parlor,  and  the  girls  were  required  to  give 
a  little  massage  “  as  a  blind,”  but  the  place,  in  reality, 
was  a  house  of  prostitution.  There  were  three  girls 
kept,  and  whilst  the  woman’s  husband  was  opposed  to 
it,  she  herself  would  carry  it  on  because  there  was 
“  money  in  it.”  The  price  for  a  bath  was  $2,  of 
which  the  keeper  got  half  and  the  girl  kept  the  other 
half.  She  begged  the  young  man  to  do  what  he  could 


124 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


to  release  her  from  such  a  horrible  place,  and  he 
promised  that  a  few  hours  should  see  her  once  more 
free.  He  went  down  to  the  Mission,  and  it  was 
arranged  that  at  a  certain  hour  and  place  he  should 
meet  the  girl  and  bring  her  to  the  matron,  who  would 
find  a  home  for  her. 

The  poor  girl  was  hysterical  with  joy  when  she 
found  herself  out  of  the  den;  and  in  the  loving  arms  of 
the  kindly  Christian  matron  sobbed  out  her  story.  She 
said  one  man  came  into  the  bath-room,  and  his  presence 
gave  her  a  nervous  chill.  She  went  and  stood  by  the 
stove,  whilst  he,  looking  at  her  in  astonishment,  asked, 
“What’s  the  matter?” 

u  I’m  chilly!  ”  was  the  reply. 

“  But  your  cheeks  are  flushed,  and  red  as  crimson,” 
said  he,  putting  his  hand  upon  hers,  “and  your  hands 
are  burning.” 

The  poor  girl  burst  into  tears  and,  confessing  hei 
fears,  threw  herself  upon  his  mercy,  and  the  visitor,  his 
manliness  aroused  by  her  wretchedness,  endeavored  to 
comfort  her,  whilst  she  explained  that  she  came  here 
under  false  pretenses;  she  was  deceived.  He  expressed 
his  sorrow  for  her  and  left  without  molesting  her. 

It  is  thought  that  it  was  this  man  who  sent  word 
to  the  religious  institution  that  aided  the  girl  to  escape. 

At  another  of  the  houses  visited,  our  commissioner 
reports  as  follows: 

“  On  the  second  floor  of  a  down-town  business 
block,  business  street,  business  all  around,  where 
hundreds  pass  daily,  a  sign  hangs  out  with  this  inscrip¬ 
tion:  4  Massage,  Manicure  and  Chiropodist.’  Knock¬ 
ing  at  the  door,  it  was  opened  responsively,  and  an  at¬ 
tractive,  ladylike  person  directed  us  to  the  office,  a 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


125 


little  dingy-looking  room,  about  6x12,  and  very  poorly 
furnished.  Here  we  could  hear,  between  the  pauses  of 
the  conversation,  the  sound  of  a  piano  out  of  tune,  being 
played  in  a  rather  lively  way.  This  was  from  another 
room,  where  also  the  sounds  of  men’s  and  women’s 
voices  could  be  heard.  We  inquired  if  we  could  have 
4  a  massage,’  and  were  informed: 

44  4Yes,  what  kind  of  massage  do  you  wish? 
Swedish,  dry  rubbing,  or  alcohol?’ 

u  4 What’s  the  price?  ’ 

44  4T wo  dollars.’ 

“  Meantime,  having  signified  our  desire,  we  were 
taken  upstairs,  where  we  found  the  massage  furniture 
to  consist  of  a  small  iron  cot,  with  mattress  and  blanket. 
In  an  adjacent  room  was  a  bath-tub  and  general  wash¬ 
ing  appliances. 

44  And  now  being  alone  with  our  attendant,  we 
thought  we  might  make  a  few  inquiries  as  to  the 
character  of  the  house.  ‘Well,  is  this  a  4  fancy’  house, 
or  is  it  what  it  is  represented  on  the  sign  to  be?  ’ 

44  ‘Don’t  know  what  you  mean!  I  know  only  this, 
that  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  no  man  dare  approach 
me .  I  took  up  this  business  because  I  could  not  get 
enough  to  do  as  a  book-keeper,  and  must  find  work  of 
some  kind,  but  I  would  be  glad  to  get  out  of  here  if  I 
could.  I  have  been  married.  Of  course,  if  you  wish 
to  see  the  4  ladies,’  there  are  two,  I  will  send  them  to 
you.’ 

44  4  We  noticed  two  bold-faced,  short-haired  girls 
passing  the  room  door  and  presumed  these  were  the 
4  ladies.’ 

44  4  We  declined,  saying,  ‘No!  but  we  wished  to 
know  just  what  was  being  ^done  here.’ 


126 


MASSAGE  PARLORS. 


“‘Well,  we  do  a  rushing  business  from  early 
morning  to  late  at  night.  We  have  more  than  we  can 
attend  to,  principally  amongst  business  men.’ 

“  ‘How  did  you  come  to  take  this  up?  ’ 

“  ‘I  wasn’t  able  to  make  enough  money  at  book¬ 
keeping  (from  six  to  seven  dollars  a  week)  to  pay  my 
way.  Here  I  get  from  ten  to  twelve  dollars  a  week.’ 

“  ‘Doesn’t  this  business  sicken  you,  with  all  its  vile 
associations?  ’ 

“‘Yes!  I  am  thoroughly  disgusted  with  it,  and 
would  give  anything  to  get  a  job  at  book-keeping  or 
anything  which  would  support  me  honestly.’ 

“  While  we  were  talking,  a  colored  waiter 
announced  that  our  fair  conversationalist  had  better 
hurry  up.  ‘  Somebody  wanted  a  massage.’ 

“We  hoped  that  she  might  succeed  in  obtaining 
employment  at  better  business;  thanked  her  for  her 
courtesy;  and  stepped  out  into  the  busy  street  again, 
wondering  at  the  snares  and  devices  which  are  laid  in 
Chicago  for  ‘  smart  business  men.’  ” 


Procuresses ,  Abductors ,  Etc. 


“  Your  adversary,  the  devil, . walketh 

about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour.” 

Peter  the  Apostle. 

THE  system  of  “  procuring  ”  young  girls  for  the 
vilest  purposes  obtains  in  Chicago  to  as  great  an 
extent  proportionately  as  it  does  in  Londonf 
Paris,  or  any  other  large  city.  It  is  simply  impossible 
that  in  a  brief  survey  of  the  subject  more  than  the 
merest  outline  of  the  facts  of  the  cases  can  be  given 
which  are  in  the  hands  of  our  various  commissioners 

m 

There  are  men  procurers  as  well  as  women  procurers, 
or  “procuresses”  as  they  are  termed.  Their  methods  of 
proceedure  are  many  and  varied.  Many  of  the  pro 
curesses  are  to  be  found  on  the  incoming  trains,  where, 
with  practiced  eye  they  “  spot  ”  young,  fresh-looking 
girls  from  country  places.  It  is  easy  for  them  to  be¬ 
come  acquainted  with  such  girls,  and  by  a  line  of  adroit 
questioning  they  soon  draw  from  them  their  destina¬ 
tion. 

“Chicago!  indeed!  why  I’m  going  to  Chicago! 
Are  you  going  to  live  there,  or  only  for  a  visit?  Have 
you  got  a  situation?  Were  you  ever  there  before?  Do 
you  know  anybody  there?” 

Oftentimes  they  find  perfectly  “green”  girls  who, 
determined  to  be  the  “architects  of  their  own  fortunes,” 
are  wending  their  way  Chicagoward  to  find  employ- 


128 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


ment.  Better  and  easier  prey  than  this  is  not  wanted. 
On  arriving  at  the  great  depot,  possibly  late  at  night, 
where  the  whirl  and  confusion  are  sufficient  to  distract 
even  the  most  experienced,  the  young  girl,  not  know* 
ing  where  to  go,  is  easily  induced  by  the  “  kind  lady 
friend”  to  accompany  her  to  her  own  boarding  place. 
Here  she  is  either  forcibly  detained,  or  drugged  and 
violated,  and,  in  the  latter  case,  the  first  step  taken,  her 
mind  filled  with  an  awful  sense  of  shame,  and  recogniz- 
ing^the  difficulties  ever  placed  in  the  way  of  reform, she 
is  induced  to  live  a  life  of  shame. 

The  procuress  takes  her  to  a  “fast  house  ”  where 
she  receives  her  pay  from  the  madame,  and  the  patrons 
of  the  house  are  duly  advised  that  a  new,  fresh  girl 
from  the  country  is  at  their  service,  and  thus  the  “  high 
character”  of  the  house  is  built  up  and  maintained. 

But  oftentimes  the  fate  of  the  girl  is  more  awful 
than  this,  impossible  though  it  may  seem.  We  have 
several,  nay  many,  instances  where  girls  have  been  thus 
entrapped,  and,  when  once  in  the  house,  forcibly  de¬ 
tained  under  lock  and  key  until  one  of  three  things 
occurred — escape,  submission  or  death. 

Can  it  be  possible  to  conceive  a  more  awful  fate 
for  a  girl  who  wishes  to  be  pure.  Incarcerated  in  one 
of  these  vile  dens,  where  no  cry  for  help  is  heeded, 
where  violence  is  easily  resorted  to,  what  chance  has  a 
poor,  inexperienced  girl  in  the  clutches  of  such  vul¬ 
tures?  She  must  bear  the  constant  violation  of  her 
person  until  in  desperation  she  sullenly  submits,  or  she 
is  favored  by  some  other  inmate  and  allowed  to  escape, 
or  death  puts  an  end  to  an  existence  which  is  worse 
than  a  living  hell  to  her. 

In  the  depots  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


1 29 


procuresses  to  “  be  in  waiting  ”  for  victims.  A  strange 
girl  is  soon  known,  and  just  as  the  one  on  the  train  was 
decoyed,  so  is  she,  and  wakes  up  the  next  morning  too 
/)ften  to  find  herself  ruined  and  in  a  house  of  prosti¬ 
tution. 

It  is  also  said — but  of  this  we  confess  we  have  but 
statements  and  many  suspicious  cases,  but  no  definite 
proof — that  there  are  cabmen  in  this  city  who  are  in 
league  with  the  keepers  of  these  houses,  and  when  they 
are  asked  by  country  girls  to  take  them  to  some  good 
boarding-house  or  hotel  they  convey  them  to  their 
-  patrons,  receiving  a  good  round  sum  if  the  girl  is  suit¬ 
able  for  their  purposes,  and  can  by  fair  means  or  foul 
be  induced  to  stay. 

The  madame  of  one  of  the  most  elaborate  and 
splendid  houses  in  Chicago  told  one  of  our  commission¬ 
ers  that  she  didn’t  care  if  she  lost  every  girl  she  had  in 
the  house,  for  she  knew  exactly  where  to  go  to  get  all 
the  £C  nice,  fresh,  sweet  girls  ”  she  wanted.  The  sup¬ 
ply  was  greater  than  the  demand. 

The  daring  boldness  of  procuresses  will  be  well 
understood  when  the  reader  learns  that  they  have  ob¬ 
tained  visitor’s  tickets  which  gave  them  entrance  to  the 
wards  of  the  county  hospital  at  all  times.  Here  they 
could  spy  out  pretty  girls,  returning  to  health,  whose 
presence  in  the  county  hospital  gave  proof  of  their 
poverty.  Such  as  these  are  easy  prey  in  their  crafty 
hands,  for,  what  with  cajoling,  persuading,  promising, 
all  under  the  guise  of  the  most  disinterested  friendship, 
the  poor  girls,  anxious  to  earn  a  living,  and  thankful 
for  an  easy  position,  are  only  too  glad  to  accept  their 
offers,  and  once  in  their  clutches,  it  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  rescue  them. 


130 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


We  are  authoritatively  informed  that  the  warden 
of  the  County  Hospital  recently,  on  this  very  score, 
called  in  some  of  these  regular  visitor’s  tickets,  and  now 
demands  a  more  careful  and  thorough  examination  intc^ 
the  standing  of  those  who  apply  for  them,  and  that 
this  precaution  was  rendered  necessary  because  of  the 
discovery  of  the  hellish  work  going  on  we  have  just 
described. 

A  girl,  not  yet  15  years  of  age,  came  up  from  a 
town  in  a  neighboring  state.  She  had  been  a  clerk  in 
a  grocery  store  in  her  native  town,  and  things  not  being 
so  comfortable  at  home  as  she  desired,  the  thought  that 
in  Chicago  work  could  be  found  and  an  independent 
living  made,  urged  the  child  to  leave  home  and  come 
here.  After  she  had  been  here  a  few  days,  the 
weather  being  cold  and  frosty,  she  slipped  on  the  curb¬ 
stone  and  broke  her  ankle.  Helpless  and  alone,  with¬ 
out  home  and  money,  there  was  but  one  place  for  her 
to  go,  the  County  Hospital,  and  thither  she  was  sent. 
After  awhile  she  was  removed  to  the  hospital  at  Dun¬ 
ning,  where  she  remained  for  several  months.  Just  as 
she  was  about  to  be  discharged  a  lady  (?)  came,  and, 
passing  through  the  ward  spoke  to  her,  and  asked  if 
she  wished  a  good  position  as  a  nurse-girl.  A  glowing 
account  was  given  to  her  of  the  sweet  and  beau- 
ti  ul  children  in  their  elegant  home,  surrounded  by  all 
refinements,  and  the  poor  child,  her  imagination  thus 
worked  upon,  went  and  asked  the  doctor  if  she  might 
be  discharged.  The  doctor  gave  her  the  permit  to 
leave;  she  was  brought  by  the  “  lady  ”  into  the  city;  a 
hack  met  them  at  the  depot  and  she  was  taken  to  a 
house  of  shame  and  there  kept  under  lock  and  key  for 
a  lengthened  period. 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC.  1 3 1 

A  lady  commissioner  visiting  the  house  was  heard 
by  the  imprisoned  child  pleading  with  another  of  the 
girls  to  leave  her  life  of  sin,  and  the  final  plea  struck 
^an  attentive  ear:  “  If  you  do  get  tired  of  this  place 

come  to  us  at  -  and  we’ll  care  for  you!”  The 

young  prisoner  determined,  if  possible,  to  escape,  and  a 
few  days  later,  her  door  being  accidentally  left  un¬ 
locked,  she  ran  out,  and  escaping  detection,  found  her 
way  to  the  house,  where  loving  hearts  were  ready  to 
welcome  and  help  her.  The  u  madame  ”  of  the  house 
was  arrested,  and  though  the  evidence  was  strong  and 
clear,  it  was  not  enough  to  legally  convict  her,  and  she 
escaped  the  punishment  she  so  richly  deserved. 

Not  long  ago  in  Harrison  Street  police  station,  a 
young  girl  found  in  a  house  of  ill-fame,  who  appeared 
to  be  under  age,  was  locked  up.  The  police  matron 
asked  her,  “  Why  she  was  in  that  horrible  house?”  and 
received  an  equivocal  reply.  No  straight  answer  could 
be  gained  from  her,  until  the  sergeant  came  and  de¬ 
manded  a  true  answer,  which  was  given.  In  half  an 
hour  the  man  who  had  taken  her  to  the  place  was 
found,  and  it  turned  out  he  had  betrayed  her,  taken  her 
to  this  place  and  had  been  paid  for  so  doing,  yet,  in  this 
case,  as  in  many  others,  the  legal  difficulties  in  the  way 
were  such  that  the  only  sentence  he  received  was  six 
months  in  the  Bridewell,  whither  he  was  sent. 

Here  is  a  case  just  heard  before  one  of  the  courts 
of  this  city:  A  sleek-looking  fellow  took  a  young  girl 
looking  not  older  than  13  or  14  from  the  home  of  her 
aunt  where  she  was  living.  He  was  on  good  terms 
with  the  family,  and  said  they  were  but  going  down  to 
see  the  girl’s  mother.  Instead  of  taking  her  to  her 
mother’s,  he  took  her  to  a  house  of  prostitution  on 


i32 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


Fourth  Avenue,  where  fortunately  they  were  arrested 
before  the  poor  child  was  harmed.  The  judge  gave 
the  scoundrel  a  scathing  rebuke  and  held  him  over  to 
the  criminal  court  in  bonds  of  $800. 

Many  a  wretch  like  this  plays  into  the  hands  of  the 
keepers  of  these  vile  houses.  A  girl  if  taken  there  and 
ruined  and  deserted  by  her  44  lover,”  is  easily  per¬ 
suaded  to  remain  an  inmate  of  the  house,  whilst  the  vile 
reptile  who  took  her  there  is  well  paid  for  his  share  of 
the  proceedings. 

In  the  Philanthropist  for  August,  1887,  an  article 
appeared,  in  which  the  writer  says:  “A  consecrated 
Christian  woman,  prominent  in  work  for  women  in 
one  of  our  more  distant  Southern  States,  writes  us 
earnestly  on  the  painful  subject  of  the  cruel,  immoral 
traffic  in  women  and  girls.  4  In  every  place  to  which  I 
go,5  she  writes,  4  I  visit  these  houses  [of  debauchery] 
and  could  the  mothers  just  see  what  I  see,  oh,  how 
much  more  would  be  done  to  stop  this  traffic  in  women, 
for  I  can  call  it  nothing  else!5  She  adds:  4  One  man 
in  a  neighboring  city  goes  North  and  ships  girls  for 
this  country — just  think  of  it!  I  have  been  told  on 
reliable  authority  that  on  his  last  trip  to  Chicago  he 
brought  twenty-eight.  Can  we  do  nothing  to  prevent 
this?  I  have  seen  and  talked  with  some  of  these  very 
young  girls.” 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  regular 
business  of  importation  of  French  girls  for  immoral 
purposes  between  Canada  and  Chicago  is  carried  on. 
We  have  evidence  enough  to  show  that  it  is  a  business 
in  which  quite  a  number  of  both  men  and  women  are 
engaged.  The  girls  sent  to  this  city  are  mainly  the 
daughters  of  poor  French  families  —  growing  girls, 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


133 


who  are  not  educated  to  fit  themselves  for  service, 
and  who  help  form  that  large  floating  population  in  a 
city  with  which  it  is  so  hard  to  deal.  The  procuresses 
readily  enlist  their  sympathy  by  flattering  them  with 
promises  of  easy  and  lucrative  employment,  and  the 
poor  creatures  are  ready  to  accept  anything  which  even 
suggests  an  improvement  over  their  present  wretched 
state  of  life. 

We  are  informed — but  cannot  vouch  for  the  ac¬ 
curacy  of  the  statement — that  there  exists  in  Montreal 
a  regular  clearing-house  for  these  soon-to-be  prostitutes. 
They  are  there  instructed  how  to  answer  any  and  all 
questions  which  may  be  put  to  them  by  the  “  too  im¬ 
pertinent”  officials,  and  being  generally  mature-looking, 
are  told  that,  in  future,  their  ages  must  always  be  over 
eighteen . 

Through  the  vigilance  of  one  of  the  grand  so¬ 
cieties  for  the  suppression  of  such  vices  in  Chicago, 
several  of  these  girls  have  been  stopped  and  returned 
to  their  homes,  and  from  them  we  learn  that  these  girls, 
of  tender  years,  who  have  been  used  to  obey  the  most 
cruel  mandates  of  parents  and  others  at  home,  are  the 
ones  who,  in  the  lowest  Chicago  brothels,  submit  to  the 
most  bestial  practices,  and  exhibit  themselves  in  them, 
in  a  manner  that  would  put  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and 
Babylon  and  Corinth  to  shame. 

Three  arrests  have  been  made  in  connection  with 
such  cases,  but  each  time  the  prosecution  failed  on 
account  of  the  difficulties  encountered.  It  was  hard 
work  to  obtain  the  necessary  evidence,  almost  impossible 
to  prove  the  girls’  ages,  hard  to  find  their  parents,  and, 
if  found,  a  most  arduous  task  to  persuade  them  to  come 
to  Chicago  from  Canada  to  testify;  more  difficult  still 


134 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


to  keep  them  from  being  bribed  when  brought  here; 
and,  worse  of  all,  circumvented  on  every  hand  by  a  law 
which  seems  to  have  been  framed  with  the  express 
object  of  preventing  any  conviction  under  its  operation. 

M—  was  a  French-Canadian  girl  decoyed  from 
Canada  to  Chicago  and  kept  in  one  of  the  houses  of 
vice  under  lock  and  key.  One  of  our  commissioners 
found  her,  set  carefully  to  work  and  finally  rescued  her, 
and  to-day  she  is  living,  happily  married,  with  a  de¬ 
voted  husband,  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  this  city. 

Another  form  of  this  evil  which  is  growing  to 
alarming  proportion  is  found  in  the  existence  of  houses 
in  which  girls  and  boys  of  from  14  to  20  years  of  age 
are  regularly  admitted  for  immoral  purposes.  And  this 
is  by  no  means  left  to  chance  custom  and  patronage, — 
such  as  the  boy  who  has  over-persuaded  a  girl,  and  who 
here  finds  a  willing  landlord  or  landlady  to  aid  him  in 
his  nefarious  plans.  Oh  no!  The  children  of  darkness 
are  far  wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of 
light.  The  passions  of  men  and  women  are,  to  these 
base  wretches,  a  legitimate  field  from  which  they  may 
reap  a  golden  harvest,  if  they  but  sow  diligently  even 
the  smallest  seed.  And  sow  they  do  in  a  most  effectual 
manner!  Pretty  young  misses  of  school-girl  age  are 
dressed  up  and  made  to  look  as  simple  and  fascinating 
as  possible,  and  then  sent  out  as  decoys  to  places  of 
amusement:  such  as  beer-gardens,  the  parks,  toboggan 
slides,  skating  rinks  and  the  like,  and  even  to  church 
socials.  Here  they  come  in  contact  with  growing  boys 
in  whom  the  passionate  fires  of  youth  are  just  beginning 
to  burn.  Under  a  false  system  of  education  which  either 
leaves  them  in  ignorance  of  the  ethics  of  the  sexual  life, 
or,  worse  still,  bids  them  indulge  in  order  to  prove  their 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


135 


manhood,  these  lads  are  easy  and  willing  prey.  Once 
induced  to  visit  these  houses,  they  are  readily  persuaded 
to  “  call  again;”  inclination  and  passion  urge  them  on¬ 
ward,  and  it  is  almost  as  easy  to  stop  a  brick  in  its 
downward  course  when  hurled  from  a  great  height  as 
it  is  to  stop  a  young  man  who  has  hurled  himself 
through  the  safe-guards  of  purity  over  the  precipice 
of  passion. 

The  girls  themselves  are  inveigled  into  such 
houses  under  promise  of  easy  work,  good  wages, 
plenty  of  nice  clothes,  and  an  abundance  of  luxurious 
food.  For  a  time,  the  “pretty”  side  of  the  life,  only, 
is  presented  to  them.  They  are  praised  and  feted, 
and  called  pretty,  and  made  to  feel  their  importance 
in  the  little  circle  which  has  just  received  them,  until, 
their  little  empty  heads  turned  by  the  flattery  they 
have  received,  their  imaginations  skilfully  excited  and 
inflamed,  and  passions  roused  by  an  insidious  course  of 
carefully  graded  lessons  in  vicious  pandering,  given  by 
the  “  madame  ”  of  the  establishment,  they  are  led  to 
sacrifice  their  virtue,  and  this  once  accomplished,  the 
poor,  giddy  things  are  completely  and  for  ever  en¬ 
slaved,  unless  God  in  His  mercy,  or  man  in  his  hu¬ 
manity,  rescues  them. 

In  one  sense  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  these 
girls  are  so  easily  ensnared.  Oftentimes  both  parents 
aie  compelled  to  work  hard  for  the  bare  necessaries  of 
life,  and  they  are  willing  to  accept  any  offer  that  seems 
to  relieve  them  of  some  of  their  already  overpowering 
burdens.  The  girls  themselves,  compelled  when  very 
young  to  work  to  help  swell  the  family  purse,  re¬ 
pressed  in  all  their  childhood’s  feelings,  deprived  of 
legitimate  and  healthful  recreation,  naturally  crave  fun, 


136  PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


and  this,  alas!  too  often  means  some  unnatural  excite¬ 
ment  or  reckless  amusement.  This  condition  of  mind 
renders  them  easy  of  approach  to  those  who  seek  to 
lure  them  to  destruction.  These  human  serpents  are 
as  wary  and  shrewd  as  their  creeping  counterparts,  with 
the  knowledge  and  added  intelligence  of  human  beings. 
They  are  ever  alert — the  others  are  simple,  innocent, 
ignorant  and  unwary.  Their  weaknesses  are  the  very 
baits  used  in  the  traps  laid  to  ensnare  them  into  lives  of 
sin,  and  the  laws  of  the  state  are  so  easily  evaded,  and 
conviction  so  difficult  to  obtain,  that  this  unholy  traffic 
in  the  souls  and  bodies  of  our  Chicago  girls  is  going  on 
daily  almost  unheeded,  and  almost  as  entirely  un¬ 
hindered. 

About  two  years  ago  a  Chicago  city  justice  sent 
to  one  of  our  lady  commissioners,  and  after  talking  over 
the  foregoing  fearful  condition  of  affairs  with  her, 
asked  her  if  she  could  not  make  an  especial  endeavor 
to  secure  legislation  which  would  enable  those  justices 
who  so  desired,  to  punish,  with  a  severe  penalty,  the 
wicked  men  and  women  who  so  traded  upon  the  ignor¬ 
ance  and  passion  of  the  young.  Our  commissioner 
immediately  wrote  to  one  of  the  state  senators — the 
legislature  being  then  in  session — and  asked  him  to 
come  to  Chicago  for  a  conference.  He  was  then  per¬ 
sonally  requested  to  prepare  such  a  bill,  and  endeavor 
to  secure  its  passage,  but  he  immediately  declined, 
with  an  abrupt: 

“  It’s  no  use  trying!  It  can’t  be  done!” 

“  But  why  not?  ”  asked  the  lady. 

“  It  would  be  an  utter  impossibility.  The  country 
members  could  never  be  made  to  believe  that  such  a 
bill  was  necessary.  They  would  say  Chicago  is  such  a 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


wicked  city  that  its  legislators  have  actually  begun  to 
imagine  evils;  evils  so  fearful  that  it  is  not  possible  that 
they  exist  in  any  other  way  than  in  their  imagination, 
and  that  such  a  bill  would  only  give  rise  to  blackmail 
and  extortion.” 

And  there  the  matter  was  allowed  to  rest.  But 
the  fearful  demoralizing  and  debauching  of  our  young 
women  and  men  still  goes  on,  the  awful  facts  of  odious 
horror  are  still  there,  and  the  names  of  the  justice  and 
commissioner  and  senator  will  be  given,  if  necessary,  to 
responsible  persons  who  desire  to  work  for  the  removal 
of  such  a  vile  system  from  the  city  of  Chicago. 

To  show  the  need  for  the  full  light  of  knowledge 
being  poured  upon  the  facts  as  they  exist,  it  is  but  nec- 
cessary  to  remind  our  readers  that  before  1886  the  law 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  allowed  a  girl  of  twelve  years  to 
consent  to  her  own  ruin.  Think  of  it!  The  solons  of 
Illinois,  men  of  years  of  wisdom,  men  of  families,  hus¬ 
bands,  fathers,  brothers;  these  men  passed  a  law  that 
would  protect  any  vile  brute  who  assaulted  a  helpless 
girl  if  she  happened  to  be  twelve  years  of  age — a  time 
at  which  many  girls  have  not  even  reached  puberty. 

In  the  winter  of  1886,  in  response  to  the  urgent 
appeals  of  hundreds  of  Chicago’s  noblest  women  and 
men,  the  age  of  consent  was  raised  to fourteen,  although 
eighteen  was  earnestly  asked.  And  there  it  stands  to¬ 
day,  a  disgrace  and  a  menace  to  the  people  of  this  great 
city.  Why  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  holy  and  good 
should  men  have  a  right  to  entangle  a  girl,  and  by 
cajolery  and  false  promises  seduce  her,  and  if  she  be  but 
fourteen  years  of  age,  she  must  bear  all  the  burden,  all 
the  shame,  all  the  pain,  all  the  horror,  and  he  get  off 
scot  free?  Many  girls  of  fourteen  are  mere  innocent 


138  PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 

babes  as  far  as  knowledge  of  evil  is  concerned,  and  yet, 
at  that  age,  they  may  give  consent  to  that  of  which  they 
know  little  then,  but  which  afterwards  may  mean 
eternal  ruin.  Such  a  law  is  an  outrage  upon  manhood. 
The  men  who  acquiesced  in  its  passage  deserve  the 
pillory,  and  we  trust  the  pillory  of  an  outraged  public 
opinion  will,  ere  long,  be  the  punishment  of  all  legisla¬ 
tors  who  stand  in  the  way  of  making  this  law  as  it 
should  be,  and  that  is,  abolishing  the  age  of  consent  en¬ 
tirely.  Recognizing  the  power  of  a  man  over  a  woman 
who  believes  in  his  love,  no  woman,  under  any  circum¬ 
stances,  should  be  allowed  to  give  her  consent  to  the 
violation  of  her  own  chastity,  and  man,  as  the  stronger , 
more  self  reliant  of  the  two,  should  suffer  if  he  allow 
his  passion  to  over-master  him.  As  it  is,  the  woman 
has  all  the  suffering,  and  the  man  escapes.  This  is 
manifestly  a  gross  injustice. 

Here  is  a  recent  case.  A  lad  not  yet  16,  a  girl  13. 
The  lad  enticed  the  girl  away  from  her  home,  took  her 
to  his  married  sister’s,  and  kept  her  there  two  or  three 
days.  They  went  for  a  walk  each  day  and  two  or 
three  times  he  induced  her  to  yield  to  his  desires.  The 
law  in  this  case  is  powerless  to  touch  this  vile  youth. 
Had  he  been  16  years  of  age,  his  crime  would  have  sent 
him  to  a  penitentiary,  but  because  he  is  under  that  age, 
he  is  allowed  to  go  scot  free.  On  the  other  hand  a  girl 
at  fourteen  years  of  age  can  give  consent  to  a  violation 
of  her  person.  Look  at  this  glorious  consistency!  A 
lad  of  sixteen  is  not  responsible,  but  a  girl  of  fourteen 
can  be  cajoled  into  yielding  her  virtue,  and  the  scoun¬ 
drel  who  thus  persuaded  her  can  walk  out  of  court  an 
“  innocent  person  ”  in  the  eyes  of  the  law.  Call  this 
honor!  It  is  law,  fit  for  the  regions  of  the  lost; 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC.  1 39 

honor  fit  for  fiends,  viler  than  Sodom,  Corinth  or 
Babylon. 

Men  of  Chicago,  how  long  will  you  allow  such 
things  as  these  to  exist  without  uttering  your  loud  and 
successful  protest  against  them?  Change  the  law! 
Make  it  impossible  for  any  woman  to  legally  shield  her 
person,  and  thus  shield  the  man  who  seduces  her,  no 
matter  what  her  age  may  be.  The  age  of  consent 
should  be  raised  from  fourteen  years,  not  to  “  eighteen, 
but  eighty,”  and  the  sooner  this  is  done,  the  sooner  will 
these  foul  seducers  be  amenable  to  the  law  for  their 
abominable,  soul-destroying  work. 

That  we  have  spoken  strictly  within  the  bounds  of 
moderation  in  dealing  with  these  crimes  against  young 
girls  and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  punishing  them 
will  be  apparent  from  a  careful  perusal  of  the  following 
extract  taken  from  the  report  of  the  “  Protective 
Agency  for  Women  and  Children,”  whose  grand  and 
noble  work  ought  to  commend  it  to  the  financial  aid  of 
and  moral  support  of  every  true  man  and  woman  in 
Chicago: 

“  Of  the  deepest,  deadliest,  most  dastardly  crimes  committed 
upon  young  girls  and  children,  this  is  not  the  place  to  speak  in  de¬ 
tail.  It  is  here  that  we  find  the  most  cruel  wrongs,  and  the  greatest 
difficulties  to  encounter.  The  more  virtuous  and  modest  a  girl  is, 
the  more  she  shrinks  from  the  terrible  torturing  ordeal  of  the 
cdminal  court.  Every  womanly  instinct  of  that  nature  which  has 
been  so  outraged  revolts  against  it.  If  the  criminal,  by  any  of  that 
hocu.;-pocus  so  well  known  to  criminal  lawyers,  succeeds  in  obtain¬ 
ing  a  new  trial,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  induce  the  poor  victim  to 
appear  a  second  time,  to  tell  the  story  of  her  wrongs.  She  prefers 
to  suffer  in  silence,  and  though  we  may  regret,  who  can  wonder? 
Not,  certainly,  any  of  those  women  who  have  sat  beside  these  poor 
girls  in  the  crowded  court-room,  who  have  heard  the  loathing 
aspersions  cast  upon  them,  who  have  watched  the  vile  cro.v d  that 


140 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


gathers  there,  all  eyes  focussed  on  the  weeping,  trembling  creature, 
friendless  in  that  throng  of  strange  men.  If  your  daughter  or  mine 
stood  there,  the  victim  of  so  foul  a  wrong,  would  you  not  say,  that 
of  all  places  in  this  wide  world,  the  place  for  a  pure  and  good 
woman  was  in  that  torture  chamber,  beside  that  poor  young  girl? 
'Would  you  not  feel  that  every  lady  in  the  land  should  stand  by  her, 
to  heal  her  broken  heart,  and  lift  her  up  out  of  her  despair  ?  So  we 
feel  we  ought  to  do  for  all  the  daughters  of  the  Heavenly  Father, 
our  sisters. 

Since  this  chapter  was  put  in  type  another  fearful 
case  of  abduction  has  been  brought  to  our  notice.  To¬ 
day,  May  12,  1891,  a  white  girl  escaped  from  a  house 

of  prostitution  kept  on - .  This  is  her  story  as  told 

to  us.  We  have  not  yet  had  time  to  carefully  investi¬ 
gate  as  to  its  truth,  but  give  it  as  we  received  it. 

A  negro  met  her  on  the  street  and  asked  where 
she  was  going.  Her  reply  was,  she  wished  to  go  home. 
He  said  he  would  take  her  home,  and  at  once  walked 

with  her  to  a  place  on  -  avenue.  The  girl  was 

pretty,  and  as  simple  as  a  child,  and  said  she  had  no 
idea  whatever  as  to  the  nature  of  the  place  to  which 
she  was  being  taken.  The  house  was  kept  by  a  col¬ 
ored  woman,  who,  seeing  the  childishness  of  the  girl, 
determined  to  keep  her.  The  man  went  away  promis¬ 
ing  to  return,  but  was  never  seen  again.  From  that 
hour  until  she  escaped  to-day  the  girl  was  kept  under 
strict  surveillance.  Her  dresses  were  taken  from  her 
and  cut  down  until  the  skirts  only  reached  to  the  knees, 
so  that  she  could  not  go  on  the  streets  and  thus  escape. 
During  the  whole  of  her  captivity  she  was  required  to 
pay  $20  a  week  for  her  room  and  board,  and  this  had  to 
be  made  from  negroes  and  Chinamen.  If  she  failed  to 
make  that  amount  she  was  beaten  severely  by  the  cruel 
44  madame.”  Most  of  the  men  who  came  were  drunk 


PROCURESSES,  ABDUCTORS,  ETC. 


141 

and  cruel  to  her,  but  if  she  complained  she  was  whipped 
and  told  to  hold  her  tongue.  The  child  came  from 
Germany  a  little  over  two  years  ago;  does  not  speak 
much  English,  and  was  under  age  when  taken  to  this 
horrible  place. 

Our  chief  commissioner  has  placed  the  case  in  the 
hands  of  the  proper  authorities,  and  if  any  punishment 
can  be  awarded  to  the  wretched  woman  who  keeps  this 
vile  den  we  shall  do  our  utmost  to  have  it  awarded. 

The  man  who  took  her  to  the  place  was  undoubt¬ 
edly  a  procurer,  and  thus  it  is  that  u  slavery  ”  in  its 
worst  forms  takes  place  right  under  our  very  observa¬ 
tion.  We  will  take  any  responsible  committee  to  this 
girl,  so  that  her  story  may  be  investigated  by  them,  as 
wdl  as  to  the  others  we  have  reported  upon. 


Observations  on  the 


Making  of  Criminals . 


“  Evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners.” 

— Paul. 

‘  ‘  Satan  lays  the  snare,  and  children  are  his  victims.” 

— Anthony  Comstock . 


CRIMINALS  exist.  They  are  born  and  made. 
Heredity,  which  shows  itself  in  natural  ten¬ 
dency,  environment  and  education  are  all  we 
need  to  know  to  determine  what  made  the  criminal. 

These  we  shall  briefly  consider.  Briefly  of  neces¬ 
sity,  not  because  of  the  non-importance  of  the  subject. 

These  pages  are  not  written  to  instruct  our  youth 
in  the  vice  and  wickedness  that  exists  in  the  world,  but 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  to  parents,  teachers  and  all 
who  love  the  young,  the  dangers  to  which  they  are  ex¬ 
posed,  so  that  the  necessary  warnings  may  be  given, 
and  restraints  properly  applied. 

The  influence  of  heredity  in  the  making  of  crimin¬ 
als  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized.  There  is  a 
growing  literature  upon  this  subject  which  should  be 
carefully  read  by  those  who  are  desirous  of  helping 
stem  the  tide  of  evil.  The  history  of  the  Jukes’  family, 
a  band  of  notorious  criminals  in  New  York,  shows  how 
tendency  to  vice  is  inherited.  Like  produces  like.  As 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


H3 


are  the  father  and  mother  so  are  the  children.  Hence 
che  necessity  of  working  for  the  reform  of  parents  as 
well  as  for  the  salvation  of  children.  So  often  we  hear 
the  cry:  “Oh!  never  mind  the  old  ones,  they’re  too 
far  gone  to  do  any  good.  He t  us  try  and  save  the 
children !  ” 

To  save  the  children  is  blessed  work,  but  it  is  not 
enough.  The  adults  may  yet  become  the  parents  of 
more  children,  and  efforts  for  their  reform  should  be 
persistent  in  order  to  give  the  heredity  of  good  desires 
to  future  children.  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes’  re¬ 
mark  about  beginning  the  training  of  children  200 
years  before  they  are  born  is  so  well  known  as  to  have 
become  proverbial,  and  never  was  truer  proverb  made. 
But  one  fact  in  heredity  has  been  too  much  overlooked, 
and  that  is,  that  upward  tendency ,  desire ,  aspiration 
are  transmittable  qualities  as  well  as  those  that  are  de¬ 
basing  and  degrading.  So  that  if  parents  of  unborn 
children  can  be  led  to  desire  to  be  better  men  and 
women,  their  children  will  probably  possess  at  birth  a 
priceless  boon — that  of  intense  desire  to  rise  above  ex¬ 
istent  moral  surroundings. 

When  we  look  at  the  pre-natal  conditions  of  the 
criminal  classes,  we  need  not  wonder  that  so  many 
criminals  are  born.  Let  us  suppose  a  hypothetical  case, 
of  which  we  will  guarantee  to  find  in  Chicago  without 
difficulty,  a  real  exemplification  for  every  day  in  the 
year. 

A  rude,  coarse,  drunken  brute  is  the  husband  of  a 
woman,  lowly  in  station,  perhaps,  but  with  all  the  in¬ 
stinctive  feeling  of  womanhood.  Some  night,  with 
passions  excited  by  drink  and  loose  companionship,  the 
wretch  comes  home  and  compels  his  wife  to  share  his 


144 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


embraces.  She,  poor  victim,  shrinks  from  his  rude 
caresses  in  horror,  and  almost  sickens  as  his  hot  and 
foul  breath  touches  her  cheek,  but  in  fear  and  trembling 
yields  her  person,  for  she  has  been  taught  (shameful 
teaching)  that  it  is  her  duty.  Filled  with  horrible 
loathing  and  disgust  for  the  vile  creature  to  whom  she 
is  tied,  she  prays  that  conception  may  not  take  place; 
she  uses  every  means  known  to  her  to  prevent  it,  and 
when,  after  awhile,  she  finds  that  all  her  preventive  ef¬ 
forts  were  in  vain,  is  there  any  wonder  that  she  risks 
even  her  own  life  to  dislodge  the  embryonic  existence 

that  is  so  fearful  to  her.  Sometimes  she  succeeds,  some- 

* 

times  she  fails,  and  in  either  case,  it  is  exceedingly  im¬ 
probable  that  her  brutal  husband  even  gives  a 
thought  to  her  condition  when  his  own  passions  clamor 
for  gratification. 

Does  it  need  any  mental  acumen,  or  special  medi¬ 
cal  and  philosophical  training  to  fortell  what  the  fruit 
of  such  a  womb  will  be?  Conceived  in  drunken  lust¬ 
fulness,  subjected  to  the  murderous  influences  of  the 
mother,  who  with  real  murder  in  her  heart  has  sought 
to  destroy  the,  as  yet,  unformed  babe,  its  whole  em¬ 
bryonic  existence  bathed  in  an  atmosphere  of  murder, 
lust  and  violence,  can  such  a  child  be  any  other  than  a 
natural-born  murderer  and  sensualist? 

If  a  boy  he  most  probably  becomes  a  leader  in  the 
criminal  classes;  if  a  girl  a  queen  in  the  brothel  and  den 
of  thieves. 

Much  of  the  criminality  of  sensuality  manifests 
itself  even  in  the  children  of  Christian  parents,  and  our 
commissioners  are  the  recipients  of  many  sad  stories 
from  this  class  of  our  citizens.  Wonder  is  always  ex¬ 
pressed  that  good  parents  should  have  evil  children,  and 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS.  I45 

many  persons  put  forth  these  facts  as  proofs  against  the 
law  of  heredity. 

To  the  superficial  observer  the  criticism  may  seem 
just,  but,  when  the  facts  are  known,  they  generally 
only  the  more  fully  confirm  the  law. 

Two  things  are  largely  answerable  for  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  the  evil  in  such  cases.  It  must  be  distinctly  un¬ 
derstood  that  ignorance  of  a  natural  law  never  saves 
the  violator  from  punishment  for  its  infringement.  A 
man  ignorant  that  fire  burns  is  just  as  likely  to  suffer  if 
he  plays  with  a  red-hot  stove  as  is  the  man  who  knows 
all  about  it.  So  in  the  more  hidden  processes  of  nature 
involved  in  the  wide  field  we  cover  with  the  word 
“  heredity.”  Ignorance  is  no  safeguard! 

And  now  to  the  two  things. 

First,  the  wrong  notion  that  Christian  men  and 
women  possess  as  to  the  Bible’s  declaring  that  wives 
shall  be  subject  unto  their  husbands.  This  is  often 
pleaded  by  a  man  as  an  excuse  for  the  gratification  of 
passion  at  a  time  undesirable  to  his  wife.  The  wife 
yields,  believing  it  to  be  her  duty.  Offspring  born  of 
such  unison  naturally  inherit  the  idea  of  musculine 
authority,  combined  with  feminine  submission. 

This  almost  as  naturally  leads  to  the  false,  wicked 
and  abominable  idea  held  by  so  many  people,  good,  bad 
and  indifferent  alike,  that  to  the  male  the  exercise  of 
the  sexual  function  when  manhood  is  attained  is  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary  in  some  way  or  another. 

And  how  is  it  possible  that  a  youth  born  under 
such  mental  conditions  can  be  as  pure  as  he  should  be? 
Or  a  girl  have  so  strong  a  feeling  of  her  right  to  de¬ 
mand  as  absolute  purity  in  her  lover  as  he  demands  of 


146 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


her?  Both  are  demoralized,  and  therefore  helped 
toward  criminality  by  this  false  standard. 

The  second  thing  is,  that  Christian  and  educated 
people  do  not  observe  the  natural  law  after  conception 
has  taken  place.  F rom  the  moment  of  the  inception  of 
a  new  life  the  body  of  the  mother  should  be  preserved 
sexually  inviolate.  Every  infringement  of  this  law — 
which  all  the  so-called  lower  animals  observe — means 
the  impressment  of  lustful  desires  upon  the  mind  and 
body  of  the  unborn  child,  which,  sadly  too  often,  bring 
disaster  in  mature  life. 

So  much  then  for  heredity.  We  wish  we  might 
discuss  this  grave  question  further,  but  our  limited 
space  forbids. 

Another  potent  factor  in  the  making  of  criminals 
is  the  stand  taken  by  the  world  in  its  judgment  of  the 
morality  of  man  as  distinguished  from  woman.  There 
exists  two  distinct  moral  codes.  One  applies  to  woman, 
the  other  to  man.  According  to  the  former,  women 
who  have  fallen  into  sexual  vice  are  cut  off  from  society. 
They  lose  caste,  and  become  outcast.  According  to  the 
latter  we  do  not  find  the  same  law  applied.  “  Dat  ven- 
iam  corvis,  vexat  censura  Columbas.”  “  He  forgives 
the  ravens,  reviles  the  doves.”  The  man  receives  little 
or  no  condemnation. 

We  can  give  many  such  cases  in  Chicago  of  the 
truth  of  what  we  say.  The  woman  is  made  to  bear  all 
the  burden,  whilst  the  “  stronger  vessel  ”  escapes  all  in¬ 
convenience,  except  that  caused  by  his  own  conscience, 
if  he  have  any. 

The  effect  of  this  monstrous  and  unjust  law  of 
society  is  to  train  young  men  to  believe  that  the  un- 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


H7 


licensed  exercise  of  lustful  passion  is  not  dangerous  for 
them.  It  teaches  them  to  “sow  their  wild  oats,”  it  of¬ 
fers  a  premium  to  their  lustfulness,  for  it  makes  them 
more  “  interesting  ”  to  the  silly  moths  of  society  who 
fly  around  dangers. 

We  are  thankful  to  record  that  pure  men  and 
women  in  this  city  are  making  a  strong  protest  against 
this  degrading  judgment,  but  the  number  who  dis¬ 
criminate  is  fearfully  small,  compared  to  what  it 
should  be. 

Another  method  by  which  many  criminals  are 
made  in  Chicago,  is  the  advice  given  by  physicians  to 
young  men  who  have  fallen  into  the  pernicious  habit  of 
solitary  vice.  They  are  often  told  that  the  only  cure 
for  this  fearfully  demoralizing  habit  is  to  either  marry 
or  visit  the  house  of  prostitution.  To  marry  is  often 
impossible,  and  therefore,  following  the  advice  of  his 
medical  adviser,  the  young  man  takes  the  further  step 
into  degr  daticn  and  criminality  by  entering  the  snare 
of  the  harlot.  These  physicians,  and  there  are  many 
such  in  Chicago,  should  be  strung  up  to  the  whipping¬ 
post  and  severely  scourged,  for  they  well  know  that 
the  cure  is  worse  than  the  disease,  and  that,  too  often, 
it  means  the  retaining  of  the  patient,  for  he  will  soon 
have  more  horrible  and  loathsome  diseases  to  be  treated, 
as  the  result  of  following  the  advice  given. 

Of  the  making  of  criminals  by  circulating  vile 
books,  pictures  and  advertisements,  the  display  of 
obscene  pictures  on  the  walls  of  saloons,  and  indeed  the 
very  existence  of  the  saloon,  the  licentious  exhibitions 
at  theaters,  etc.,  we  have  already  spoken.  There  are 
many  other  criminal-making  appliances  at  work,  as  the 
earlier  pages  of  this  book  show,  and  others  we  should 


1 48 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


like  to  discuss,  such  as  gambling-houses,  lotteries,  etc. 
Whilst  writing  this  chapter  a  copy  of  “  Traps  for  the 
Young,”  by  Anthony  Comstock,  has  been  placed  in  our 
hands,  which  fully  presents  all  phases  of  this  question. 
We  most  heartily  commend  the  book  to  all  interested. 

But,  ere  this  chapter  is  concluded,  we  must  refer  to 
one  phase  of  this  important  question  that  few  Ameri¬ 
can  writers  have  the  courage  to  open  up,  and  we  con¬ 
fess  it  is  not  without  feelings  of  great  temerity  that  we 
make  the  assertion,  that  in  the  play-ground  and  sur¬ 
roundings  of  the  public  school,  the  children  of  Chicago 
are  exposed  to  a  training  that  is  far  more  dangerous  in 
its  viciousness  than  words  can  adequately  express.  And, 
whilst  we  shoulder  the  responsibility  of  the  following 
statements  by  well-known  —  indeed,  world-known 
— writers,  we  prefer  that  they  should  give  expression 
to  our  thought  rather  than  that  we  ourselves  should 
attempt  it.  One  says: 

“  For  the  vast  majority  of  children,  the  first,  and  therefore  most 
potent,  outside  influence,  is  the  public  school.  Here  are  thrown 
together,  for  years,  with  little  restriction  upon,  and  less  supervision 
over,  their  intercourse,  children  of  both  sexes;  the  lisping  infant 
and  the  nearly  grown  man  and  woman;  the  refined  and  the  common; 
the  gentle  and  the  brutal;  the  innocent  and  the  vile;  the  ignorant  and 
the  knowing;  the  sweet,  tender,  pure,  defenseless  little  souls  to 
whom  all  things  are  yet  pure,  who  know  no  guile  and  suspect  no 
evil,  and  those  in  whom  lust  has  been  prematurely  awakened  by 
evil  knowledge  and  temptation,  and  sin  has  already  begun  some 
form  of  spiritual  death  and  bodily  vice. 

What  is  the  result?  What  can  we  expect  ?  For  what  have  we 
provided  the  conditions  ?  What  father  does  not  know  how  often  a 
son’s  first  knowledge  of  himself  is  gained  from  impure  associates  at 
school  ?  What  can  he  expect  as  to  the  quality  and  influence  of  such 
knowledge  so  derived?  What  mother  does  not  have  evidence,  in  the 
vile  words  her  children  use,  perhaps  ignorantly,  that  their  minds 
and  hearts  are  being  filled  with  foul  thoughts;  that  they  are  being 


THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 


149 


made  to  hear  of  vice  they  may  not  yet  understand?  It  is  a  marvel 
of  our  time,  and  marks  a  fearful  lack  of  a  sense  of  responsibility 
for  results,  that  tender  children,  well  guarded  at  home,  are  turned 
loose  in  the  heterogeneous  crowd  of  the  public  school,  and  never  an 
effort  is  made  to  extirpate  or  defend  them  against  the  evil  influences 
that  are  as  rife  there  as  fungi  in  a  swamp.” 

General  Booth  in  his  u  Darkest  England  ”  gives 
further  expression  to  this  same  fearful  condition  of 
things : 

“  And  even  the  schooling,  such  as  it  is,  at  what  an  expense  is  it 
often  imparted  !  The  rakings  of  the  human  cesspool  are  brought 
into  the  school-room  and  mixed  up  with  your  children.  Your  little 
little  ones,  who  never  heard  a  foul  word  and  who  are  not  only  inno¬ 
cent,  but  ignorant,  of  all  the  horrors  of  vice  and  sin.  sit  for  hours 
side  by  side  with  little  ones  whose  parents  are  habitually  drunk,  and 
play  with  others  whose  idea  of  merriment  are  gained  from  the 
familiar  spectacle  of  the  nightly  debauch  by  which  their  mothers 
earn  the  family  bread.  It  is  good,  no  doubt,  to  learn  the  ABC, 
but  it  is  not  so  good  that  in  acquiring  these  indispensable  rudiments, 
your  children  should  also  acquire  the  vocabulary  of  the  harlot 
and  the  corner  boy.  I  speak  only  of  what  I  know,  and  of  that 
which  has  been  brought  home  to  me  as  a  matter  of  repeated  com¬ 
plaint  by  my  officers,  when  I  say  that  the  obscenity  of  the  talk  of 
many  of  the  children  of  some  of  our  public  schools  could  hardly 
be  outdone  in  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  Childish  innocence  is  very 
beautiful;  but  the  bloom  is  soon  destroyed,  and  it  is  a  cruel 
awakening  for  a  mother  to  discover  that  her  tenderly  nurtured  boy, 
or  her  carefully  guarded  daughter,  has  been  initiated  by  a  companion 
into  the  mysteries  of  abomination  that  are  concealed  in  the  phrase — 
a  house  of  ill-fame.” 

In  concluding  this  chapter  let  us  be  understood  as 
wishing  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  every  tolerated  or 
glossed  over  evil,  every  wrong  that  exists  without 
efforts  being  made  to  suppress  it,  is  in  itself  a  help 
towards  the  making  of  criminals. 


The  Agencies  of  Reform. 


“  Give  me  the  power  to  labor  lor  mankind, 

Make  me  the  mouth  of  such  as  cannot  speak, 

Eyes  let  me  be  to  groping  men  and  blind, 

A  conscience  to  the  base,  and  to  the  weak 
Let  me  be  hands  and  feet;  and  to  the  foolish,  mind.’’ 

—  Theodore  Parker. 

“  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  with  power:  who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing 
all  that  were  oppressed;  for  God  was  with  Him.” 

— Peter  the  Apostle . 

TO  merely  tabulate  the  various  organizations  that 
exist  in  our  city  for  its  purification  would  be 
to  fill  up  several  pages.  The  complete  list 
can  be  had  from  any  directory.  There  are  a  few 
societies,  however,  with  which  we  are  personally 
familiar,  and  of  these  we  wish  to  speak  without  giving 
any  lengthy  account.  Our  purpose  is  to  arouse  a  desire 
in  the  minds  of  our  readers  for  further  information,  so 
that  these  organizations,  in  the  future,  may  be  more 
thoroughly  sustained  than  they  have  been. 

Every  church  in  the  city  sees  after  some  of  its  own 
poor,  but  the  great  relief  organization  is  the  Relief  and 
Aid  Society.  Its  work  as  set  forth  in  its  rules  is  “  to 
aid  such  of  the  poor  as  through  sickness  and  other  mis¬ 
fortune  need  temporary  assistance.  The  permanently 
dependent  are  not  regarded  as  proper  subjects  of  relief 
’  by  this  Society. 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM.  1 5 1 

“In  a  general  way  it  may  be  stated  that  the  present 
object  of  the  Society  is,  first,  to  assist  families,  who  by 
sickness  or  want  of  employment  are  in  temporary  need 
of  aid;  second,  to  assist  widows  left  with  a  large  num¬ 
ber  of  children,  or  widows  who  are  sickly,  whether 
their  families  be  large  or  small,  if  they  need  assistance; 
third,  to  help  old  or  ailing  people  who  are  nearly  able 
to  support  themselves,  but  occasionally  need  a  little 
temporary  aid ;  fourth,  to  help  families  who  are  poor 
and  have  large  numbers  of  children,  and  also  helpless 
old  people  to  support;  fifth,  to  give  to  worthy  poor  a 
respectable  burial;  sixth,  to  aid  the  worthy  to  leave  the 
city,  which  may  be  necessary  for  a  great  variety  of 
reasons.” 

The  number  of  people  relieved  by  this  Society  has 
been  very  great.  Its  affairs  are  most  ably  and  satisfac¬ 
torily  managed  by  the  superintendent,  Rev.  C.  G. 
Truesdell.  He  has  been  in  charge  since  the  work 
began,  and  as  this  was  the  first  charity  organization  of 
Chicago,  no  man  is  more  competent  to  deal  with  the 
grave  questions  which  require  consideration  than  he. 
From  Nov.  1,  1889,  to  Nov.  1,  1890,  the  Society  ex¬ 
pended  $38,500,  and  gave  relief  to  families  as  follows: 

Number  receiving  aid  once,  830;  twice,  515;  three 
times,  460;  four  times,  340;  five  times,  130;  six  times 
or  more,  75,  giving  a  total  number  of  families  aided  of 
2,35°,  with  6,015  appropriations. 

Over  13,500  applications  were  received,  but  of  this 
number  7,550  were  disapproved. 

Valuable  information  as  to  the  work  of  this  Society 
can  be  gained  by  a  careful  perusal  of  their  reports 
which  will  undoubtedly  be  furnished  on  application  to 
the  superintendent. 


152 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


The  Home  of  the  Friendless  is  a  most  helpful 
institution,  working  for  the  relief  of  friendless  women 
and  children.  It  has  large  and  commodious  quarters  of 
its  own  in  the  city,  as  well  as  a  fruit  farm  in  the  country, 
so  that  effective  service  can  be  rendered. 

Of  the  Free  and  other  Kindergarten  Associations, 
too  much  cannot  be  said  in  their  praise.  The  genius  of 
Froebel  is  permeating  the  lives  of  thousands  of  Chicago 
children  through  the  beneficial  work  of  these  societies. 
We  would  that  they  were  multiplied  until  every  child 
of  poverty  was  taken  into  them  and  educated  in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  word. 

The  various  churches  have  their  missions  planted 
in  all  parts  of  the  city.  Each  and  every  one  of  these 
are  doing  good  work,  and  their  number  should  be  mul¬ 
tiplied.  It  is  needless  to  enumerate  these,  as  each 
church  is  doubtless  familiar  with  its  own  mission  and 
can  give  all  needed  information. 

There  are  also  many  missions  controlled  by  private 
individuals,  such  as  the  Kirkland  Mission,  Pacific 
Garden  Mission,  on  Van  Buren  St.,  conducted  by 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Clarke.  All  of  these  are  doing  grand 
and  noble  work,  and  those  who  conduct  them  receive 
constant  assurance  of  the  blessings  they  bestow  upon 
those  who  attend. 

We  should  not  forget  the  three  missions  of  Mr. 
Nurdy  and  his  wife  amongst  the  Italians — this  is  one  of 
the  noblest  of  mission  works — sustained  entirely  by 
voluntary  subscription. 

One  of  the  most  promising  works  in  this  city  is 
that  of  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Smock,  who  for  over  two  years 
has  been  engaged  in  the  rescue  of  fallen  women  and 
girls.  Many  have  been  sent  to  their  homes,  some 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


153 


placed  in  positions,  and  others  have  been  returned  to 
friends.  A  home  has  been  established  and  the  support 
has  been  entirely  voluntary. 

The  Women’s  Christian  Temperance  Union  has 
its  headquarters  in  enthusiasm  and  inspiration  in 
Chicago.  To  the  honest  inquirer  there  can  be  but  one 
opinion  as  to  the  wonderful  amount  of  good  constantly 
rollowing  the  efforts  of  these  heroic  women.  They 
conduct  missions,  free  Kindergartens,  free  dispensaries, 
newsboys’  reading  rooms,  and  many  other  reform  and 
educational  agencies,  and  are  a  most  potent  factor  in  the 
rorces  successfully  grappling  with  evils  of  every  kind. 

The  various  day  nurseries  are  doing  good  in  helping 
relieve  mothers,  who  are  compelled  to  work,  of  the 
burden  of  caring  for  their  children.  The  good  to  the 
little  ones,  also,  is  great,  and  will  tell  in  future  genera¬ 
tions  even  more  than  now. 

The  work  of  the  Salvation  Army  is  too  well  known 
to  need  general  descriptien,  but  to  see  that  it  is  doing 
good  only  needs  the  exercise  of  a  little  observation. 
Under  the  guidance  of  its  present  chief  officer,  Briga¬ 
dier  Fielding,  who  has  done  wonderfully  successful 
vork  in  California,  it  will  be  more  aggressive  in 
Chicago  than  ever.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  ere  long  a 
home  for  the  rescue  of  fallen  women  will  be  under¬ 
taken  by  the  Army,  and  its  “  slum  ”  work  carried  on 
here  as  in  other  large  cities. 

There  are  several  circles  of  “  King’s  Daughters,” 
largely  composed  of  the  daughters  of  our  more  wealthy 
citizens,  who  visit  amongst  the  poor,  relieve  their  dis¬ 
tress,  care  for  the  afflicted,  and  do  it  all  “  In  His  Name” 
under  the  motto  “  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  the  least 
of  these  ye  did  it  unto  me.”  This  work,  if  thoroughly 


i54 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


one  by  these  young  ladies,  would  help  wonderfully  in 
removing  the  feeling  that  stirs  the  heart  of  so  many  of 
the  poor,  viz.,  that  the  rich  have  no  thought  or  care 
about  their  wretchedness  and  misery. 

The  Young  Men’s  and  Young  Women’s  Christian 
Associations  do  grand  work  in  their  own  specific  lines, 
and  the  work  of  the  various  Hospitals  in  their  depart¬ 
ment  is  well  known. 

Then  there  are  Waif’s  Missions,  a  Foundlings’ 
Home,  a  Children’s  Aid  Society,  News-boys’  Clubs 
and  Reading  Rooms;  the  work  of  the  Hull  House, 
which  is  the  Chicago  “  Toynbee  Hall”;  and  on 
the  North  Side  a  kind  of  Working  Girls’  Club  has  been 
organized,  where  educational  work  of  every  kind  is 
carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  this  much  neglected  class. 

The  Flower  Missions  each  year  bring  joy  to  many 
weary  hearts,  and  the  Fresh  Air  Fund  allows  new  life 
and  vigor  to  be  given  to  those  for  whom  it  was  origin¬ 
ated.  The  Humane  Society  and  the  Immediate  Aid 
Society  are  both  engaged  in  most  helpful  and  needed 
work,  and  of  these  and  many  others  we  should  like  to 
give  more  extended  notice. 

The  Industrial  Schools  have  been  so  thoroughly 
described  in  the  various  newspapers  that  their  work  is 
made  thoroughly  familiar  to  all  interested. 

For  the  reform  of  drunkards  there  are  the  Wash¬ 
ingtonian  Home  for  men  and  the  Martha  Washington 
Home  for  women,  and  both  do  much  needed  work. 

Grand  work  is  being  done  in  the  personal  visitation 
by  godly  men  and  women  at  the  prisons,  hospitals, 
poorhouse,  infirmary  and  insane  asylum.  No  words 
can  estimate  the  value  we  attach  to  work  of  this  charac¬ 
ter,  as  our  chapter  on  suggestive  remedies  will  show. 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


155 


Chicago  has  the  honor  of  being  the  second  city  in 
the  world  to  try  the  experiment  of  police  matrons. 
The  good  these  women  accomplish  in  their  difficult 
position  is  not  one  half  known.  How  much  many  a 
poor  prisoner  owes  to  their  womanly  kindness?  W& 
are  under  obligation  to  Mrs.  J.  B.  Hobbes,  whose  paper 
giving  the  origin  of  the  police  matron  work  in  this  city 
was  handed  to  one  of  our  commissioners: 

“  It  was  after  repeated  interviews  with  the  Mayor  and  Chief  of 
Police  that  permission  was  given  to  place  a  matron  in  the  Harrison 
Street  Police  Station,  and  then  only  as  an  experiment,  provided  the 
Women’s  Christian  Temperance  Union  would  defray  all  expenses  ; 
which  they  did  for  nearly  one  year,  and  also  provided  money  for 
food  for  sick  prisoners.  So  confident  were  we  of  ultimate  success 
that  we  at  once  employed  Mrs.  S.  J.  Littell,  who  entered  upon  her 
duties  as  matron  in  the  above  named  station  March  9,  1882,  to  which 
position  she  was  subsequently  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  To  quote 
from  a  former  report:  1  The  experiment  proved  a  success,  so  much 
so,  that  the  officers  in  the  station  were  very  emphatic  in  their  com¬ 
mendations,  while  the  prisoners  were  profuse  in  their  expressions  of 
gratitude  and  appreciation  for  the  aid  and  attention  cheerfully  given 
by  a  kind-hearted  Christian  woman. 

She  so  patiently  listened  to  the  tales  of  woe,  and  so  tenderly 
nursed  the  sick,  that  she  was  frequently  called  the  good  angel  of 
the  station.  ’  From  the  beginning  we  had  indulged  the  hope  that 
the  W.  C.  T.  U.  might  be  able  to  secure  sufficient  funds  to  pay  the 
matrons  as  they  from  time  to  time  might  be  appointed.  Thi  ,  how¬ 
ever,  was  proved  to  be  impossible,  for  very  soon  the  good  resulting 
from  the  matrons’  work  attracted  the  attention  of  other  philanthropic 
organizations  who  urged  the  appointment  of  matrons  for  other  police 
stations  at  once.  And  it  was  through  the  solicitations  of  the 
W.C.  T.  U.,  the  Moral  Educational  Society  and  Prisoners’  Aid  Asso¬ 
ciation,  that  two  additional  matrons  were  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
in  January,  1883.  The  salaries  of  the  three  were  then  to  be  paid  by 
the  city.  These  were  followed  by  two  more  in  February,  1885. 
The  city  also  provided  “police  matron  stars”  for  all  the  matrons, 
and  have  continued  to  do  so  as  far  as  appointments  were  made.  By 
this  time  it  became  apparent  to  all  that  matrons  were  needed,  and 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


156 

should  be  placed  in  the  five  principal  stations,  and  at  the  request  of 
the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  the  P.  A.  Ass’n  and  the  Chicago  Women’s  Club, 
five  more  were  appointed  May  1,  1885,  making  ten  in  all  on  duty, 
two  in  each  of  the  principal  police  stations,  alternately  day  and 
night.  Those  appointed  were  recommended  by  a  joint  committee  of 
the  W.  C.  T.  U.  and  P.  A.  Ass’n.  At  this  time  an  order  was  issued 
by  the  Chief  requiring  that  all  females  arrested  must  be  placed  in 
one  of  these  five  stations.  The  work  gave  good  satisfaction,  and 
there  were  very  few  changes  until  1890,  when  the  city  limits  were 
extended,  and  more  matrons  needed,  then  eight  more  were  appointed. 
Later  on  more  territory  was  added,  and  more  were  appointed. 
Jan.  15,  1891,  still  another  was  added,  so  they  now  number  21.” 

The  Erring  Woman’s  Refuge  is,  without  any 
question,  one  of  the  finest  homes  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  Here,  as  its  name  implies,  girls  and  women 
may  come,  or  they  are  committed  by  some  process  o t 
law,  and  under  firm  Christian  guidance  are  led  into  a 
new  life.  We  wish  our  readers  could  enjoy  as  we  have 
done  many  of  the  letters  written  by  girls  who  have  beer 
started  afresh  in  life’s  journey  from  this  home,  where 
they  speak  in  almost  effusive  language  of  the  kind  help¬ 
fulness  they  received  when  all  the  rest  of  the  world  had 
forsaken  them. 

We  regret  the  name  of  this  place.  It  is  a  mistake 
to  brand  any  woman  as  “  erring,”  and  we  trust  that 
some  day  this  part  of  the  title  may  be  changed. 

The  Home  of  the  Good  Shepherd  is  a  similar 
home  under  the  auspices  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  doubtless  does  good  and  efficient  service. 

The  Anchorage  Mission  is  for  women  and  girls, 
and  is  situated  in  Plymouth  Place.  Its  object  is  to 
provide  a  temporary  home  for  needy  girls  and  women, 
especially  those  who  are  in  distress.  Little  is  known  to 
thousands  of  what  this  grand  Christian  home  is  doing. 
It  reaches  out  and  saves  the  most  degraded,  and  also 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


157 


steps  in  to  prevent  the  fall  of  others.  Women  and 
girls  come  here  voluntarily,  and  they  leave  when  they 
choose.  It  is  not  a  hospital,  but  a  place  where  girls 
may  gain  new  inspiration  which  will  enable  them  to  go 
out  and  fight  the  battle  of  life  with  success. 

A  midnight  mission  has  also  been  commenced  on 
South  Clark  St.  It  needs  more  workers,  consecrated 
Christian  men  and  women,  who  will  go  out  during  the 
hours  before  midnight  and  urge  the  lost  and  abandoned 
to  endeavor  to  lead  a  new  life.  At  present  it  is  handi¬ 
capped  for  want  of  workers,  and  only  those  whose 
hearts  are  full  of  desire  to  work  for  the  good  of  their 
fallen  sisters  can  ever  accomplish  anything  in  such 
work. 

Another  association  that  is  doing  good  service  is 
the  Bureau  of  Justice.  It  is  organized  in  the  interest  of 
poor  people  who  cannot  afford  themselves  to  enter  into 
litigation  against  those  who  wish  to  defraud  them.  Of 
cases  taken  into  court  the  bureau  won  342  and  lost  33. 
There  were  285  suits  for  wages  prosecuted.  All  the 
claims  were  small,  averaging  under  $15.  The  Presi¬ 
dent  remarks  in  this  connection:  “  What  a  commentary 
on  the  injustice  of  mankind  that  in  an  age  of  high 
civilization  the  bureau  should  be  compelled  to  prosecute 
285  men  and  women  of  property  and  standing  in  a 
great  city  to  recover  the  paltry  aggregate  of  $4,000  in 
behalf  of  poor  persons  dependent  upon  their  daily  labor 
to  procure  bread  for  their  families.” 

To  the  work  of  the  Protective  Agency  for  Women 
and  Children  we  have  already  referred.  It  has  been 
rendering  effective  service,  and  its  hands  should  be 
abundantly  strengthened. 

It  will  be  instructive  for  our  readers  to  carefully 


158 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


and  thoroughly  consider  some  points  in  the  reports  of 
this  agency  for  the  last  four  years: 

In  1887  they  investigated  12  cases  of  criminal 
assault  or  attempted  criminal  assault.  In  three  cases, 
five  men  were  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  terms 
ranging  from  one  to  five  years  each.  In  two  cases,  the 
men  were  held  to  Grand  Jury  and  discharged;  the 
balance  were  dismissed  in  the  Justice  Court,  or  they 
evaded  arrest  by  leaving  the  city. 

They  had  also  six  cases  of  abduction  for  immoral 
purposes,  three  were  under  the  guise  of  employment, 
three  were  direct.  In  all  the  cases  but  one,  the  girls 
were  rescued,  and  either  sent  home  or  respectable  em¬ 
ployment  obtained  for  them. 

The  following  year  they  reported: 

Twenty  cases  of  seduction  and  bastardy.  As  the  former  is  not 
considered  even  a  misdemeanor  in  this  state,  the  only  ground  for 
action  is  the  latter  in  this  class  of  cases.  We  have  brought  seven 
suits,  two  of  which  were  settled  by  marriage,  three  by  payment  of 
§200  in  two  cases  and  $500  in  one,  the  other  two  were  dismissed  for 
want  of  prosecution.  The  remainder  were  dismissed  for  want  of 
evidence,  defendants  had  left  town,  or  parties  were  unworthy,  and 
not  in  need  of  help. 

Thirteen  were  complaints  of  criminal  assault.  Five  cases  were 
brought  to  trial  and  resulted  in  convictions  in  four  and  dismissal  in 
one.  Four  were  dismissed  for  lack  of  evidence,  and  four  were  un¬ 
worthy. 

Six  were  abductions  for  immoral  purposes.  Two  were  brought 
to  trial,  resulting  in  one  conviction  for  one  year  and  one  dismissal. 
The  others  were  unworthy,  or  failed  for  want  of  evidence. 

The  People  vs.  Mrs.  Annie  Hermann,  Charles  Busse  and  William 
Sigmund,  was  a  conspiracy  to  seduce  two  girls  aged  respectively 
sixteen  and  eighteen  years.  This  was  a  long,  hard  fought  case,  re¬ 
sulting  in  a  conviction  with  a  penalty  of  five  years  each  for  the  first 
two  defendants,  and  four  years  for  Sigmund.  While  on  trial  for  this 

• 

particular  offense  it  transpired  that  these  defendants  had  long  been 
perpetrating  similar  crimes . 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


159 


In  18S9  the  Society’s  report  refers  to: 

Twenty-three  complaints  of  bastardy. 

Fourteen  complaints  were  of  criminal  assault,  nine  of  these 
were  prosecuted  in  Justice  Court.  On  trial  one  man  has  been  sent 
to  the  penitentiary,  one  boy  to  the  bridewell,  one  man  fined  $100. 
In  three  cases  the  evidence  was  not  conclusive,  in  one  we  declined 
to  interfere  for  good  cause,  and  in  two  the  girls  were  over  fourteen 
years  of  age. 

Eight  cases  of  seduction;  nothing  could  be  done. 

Three  complaints  of  abduction;  evidence  not  strong  enough  to 
warrant  any  action. 

In  1890  the  Society’s  report  contained  the  follow¬ 
ing: 

Thirty-four  were  cases  of  bastardy;  eleven  were  held  to  the 
criminal  court,  eleven  nothing  could  be  done,  either  because  the 
man  could  not  be  found,  the  case  was  unworthy  or  impossible  of 
proof;  two  were  settled  by  marriage,  four  for  money  consideration, 
and  six  were  advised. 

Twelve  were  complaints  of  criminal  assault:  four  were  prose¬ 
cuted  in  justice  and  criminal  courts,  and  resulted  in  convictions  and 
sentences  to  the  penitentiary;  these  were  all  assaults  upon  children; 
two  were  unworthy,  in  four  evidence  was  insufficient,  and  two  com¬ 
plaints  by  women  in  which  the  cases  were  tried  in  justice  court  but 
grand  juries  failed  to  find  indictments. 

Five  were  cases  of  abduction:  three  were  of  young  girls  for  im¬ 
moral  purposes,  prosecutions  in  every  case  failed  because  the  accused 
succeeded  in  getting  complaining  witnesses  out  of  the  way.  Our  ex¬ 
perience  in  these  cases  has  shown  us  that  we  cannot  succeed  unless 
we  have  the  moral  backing  of  the  justice  of  the  peace  before  whom 
the  case  is  tried.  Two  were  cases  of  children  by  parents. 

Since  the  above  was  written  the  Chicago  papers 
contained  the  following  item : 

Springfield,  Ill  ,  May  6. — The  bill  of  the  Woman’s  Protective 
Association  of  Chicago,  introduced  by  Mr.  O’Donnell,  amending  the 
law  to  prevent  the  prostitution  of  females,  was  read  the  third  time 
and  passed  by  the  house  this  morning. 

By  this  bill  any  keeper  of  an  assignation  house  who  shall  permit 
any  unmaiM^d  female  under  the  age  of  18  to  stop  or  room  in  such  a 


i6o 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


house,  shall  be  imprisoned  in  the  county  jail  not  less  than  six  nor 
more  than  eighteen  months.  Proof  that  such  person  was  stopping  or 
rooming  in  such  a  house  at  the  time  charged  shall  be  prima  facie 
evidence  that  she  was  there  by  permission  of  the  keeper. 

This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  and  should  be 
vigorously  followed  up  until  all  these  abominable  insti¬ 
tutions  are  “  worried”  out  of  existence. 

In  all  reformatory  work  for  “  fallen  women  ”  we 
are  constantly  met  with  the  cry  “  nothing  can  be  done.” 
We  unhesitatingly  brand  this  statement  as  an  infamous 
libel  upon  womanhood,  and  when  uttered  by  a  professing 
Christian,  as  a  denial  of  the  Heavenly  Father’s  forgiv¬ 
ing  and  uplifting  power. 

Here  are  a  very  few  of  many  cases  we  might  give 
of  women  reclaimed,  and  now  living,  as  far  as  any 
person  can  tell,  pure,  good,  noble  lives. 

Mrs. - ■,  when  seen  in  one  of  the  houses  in  “  The 

Black  Hole,”  was  asked  if  she  were  satisfied  with  her 
life,  replied,  that  she  could  never  be  satisfied,  but  was 
there  through  necessity, — her  husband  had  left  her, — 
she  had  a  little  girl — she  was  starving  and  almost  des¬ 
perate — no  Christian  would  ever  open  her  door  to  an 
outcast  in  distress  ;  these — the  houses  of  prostitution — 
were  the  only  places  that  had  open  doors  for  such  as 
she, — and  indulged  in  a  general  tirade  against  the.  world 
in  general  and  Christians  in  particular. 

“But!  my  dear  girl!”  said  the  commissioner,  “I 
am  assured  there  are  many  places  that  would  be  open 
to  you  if  you  wanted  to  reform ;  but  we  will  not  argue^ 
I  can  tell  you  of  one  at  least,  to  which  I  will  take  you 
now  if  you  will  go,  where  the  doors  are  wide  open  and 
where  loving  friends  will  care  for  you  until  another 
place  can  be  found  where  you  can  earn  your  own  live¬ 
lihood!” 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


161 


Tears  began  to  flow  down  the  poor  woman’s 
cheeks — her  heart  was  evidently  touched,  and  the  com¬ 
missioner,  learning  it  was  her  birthday,  redoubled  the 
pleading,  until  finally  she  consented  to  go.  She  felt 
that  she  could  never  be  forgiven,  but  God  in  his  mercy 
assured  her  of  pardon,  now  that  she  was  beginning  to 
live  a  true  life,  and  our  chief  commissioner  saw  her  only 
a  few  days  ago  and  is  assured  that  her  life  is  right. 

Another  commissioner  sends  in  the  following: 

I  write  on  Monday,  April  6th. — Last  night  a 
woman  was  met  on  the  streets  by  one  of  our  commis¬ 
sioners,  about  eleven  o’clock,  and  in  response  to  kindly 
inquiries,  said  she  was  left  alone,  her  husband  had  run 
off  with  another  woman  ;  she  had  no  place  to  go  to,  no 
money,  was  so  hoarse  with  sore  throat  that  she  could 
scarcely  speak,  nobody  cared  for  her,  and  she  was 
u  going  to  the  devil  as  fast  as  she  could.”  She  was 
urged  to  come  into  the  midnight  mission,  and  was  led 
to  promise  to  renounce  her  life  of  sin  and  shame.  She 
is  now  being  cared  for,  and  work  will  no  doubt  be 
found  when  she  is  capable  of  performing  it. 

Later,  May  4th. — This  girl  has  given  most  clear 
proof  of  amended  life  and  heart,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  this  city  in  honorable  employment. 

Another  woman,  who  had  been  leading  an  evil  life 
for  some  time,  was  found  in  a  sick  state  by  our  commis¬ 
sioners.  She  now  lies  in  one  of  the  hospitals,  where, 
with  the  utmost  gratitude  of  heart  she  speaks  of  her 
“  rescuer  ”  as  the  only  earthly  friend  she  has.  That  her 
heart  is  “  reformed  ”  there  can  be  no  question.  While 
this  chapter  was  in  progress  of  writing,  this  poor  woman 
died  at  the  County  Infirmary,  and  was  there  buried, 


162 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


after  having  given  the  clearest  evidence  of  her  restful¬ 
ness  in  the  love  of  the  Heavenly  Father. 

One  of  our  commissioners  found  a  girl  in  one  of 
the  houses  who  was  degraded  beyond  the  power  of 
words  to  describe.  Her  heart  was  touched,  however, 
by  the  affectionate  pleadings  of  the  lady  visitor,  and  she 
was  induced  to  leave  the  house.  For  some  months  a 
home  was  found  for  her  in  one  of  the  suburban  villages, 
but  at  length  the  people  with  whom  she  lived  began  to 
complain  of  her  inefficiency  and  general  incompetency 
for  the  simple  work  required.  She  was  accordingly 
sent  as  a  last  resort  to  the  Erring  Woman’s  Refuge, 
and  there  remained  a  little  over  two  years.  During 
that  period  she  was  led  to  become  an  earnest,  sincere 
Christian,  and  the  managers  of  the  Refuge,  desirous  to 
see  her  work  her  own  way  in  the  world,  at  length  sent 
her  out  to  canvass  with  a  book.  Whilst  engaged  in 
this  work  she  met  a  man  in  good  position,  who  fell 
deeply  in  love  with  her.  In  due  time  he  proposed  and 
was  accepted,  but  not  before  the  girl  had  told  him  the 
whole  of  her  past  life.  With  the  bravery  of  true  love 
he  replied,  after  the  sad  recital  had  ended,  u  I  do  not 
love  the  girl  that  was,  but  the  girl  that  is.  Let  the 
dead  past  bury  its  dead — I  shall  marry  you!” 

* 

They  were  married,  and  are  to-day  living  as 
happily  as  can  be,  both  working  members  in  one  of  the 
most  prominent  churches  in  the  city, — another  proof 
that  fallen  women  may  be  and  are  rescued, — do  become 
good  wives  and  mothers,  and  helpful  members  of 
society. 

If  we  accept  the  idea  of  the  fatherhood  of  God,  it 
must  be  that  he  will  receive  back  into  His  loving  arms 
any  of  His  erring  children  who  turn  to  Him,  and  if  He 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


163 

will  receive  them,  surely  we  should  do  all  we  possibly 
can  to  give  help  to  their  weary  feet  as  they  seek  to 
journey  homeward. 

The  Rev.  W.  D.  Smock,  superintendent  of  the 
midnight  mission,  gives  the  following  as  expressions 
uttered  by  those  amongst  whom  he  has  labored : 

“  Won’t  you  take  me  away  from  here?  ” — Living  with  a  7nan 
not  her  husband. 

“  Does  God  care  for  me?  Does  He?  ’’ — At  the  Bridewell. 

“Oh,  I  suffer  so  much.  If  I  ever  get  out  of  this  I  will  be  a 
good  girl.” — At  the  Poor  House ,  ruined  by  a  life  of  shame. 

“  No,  I  won't  go  to  the  Mission!  No  one  cares  for  me.  Hus¬ 
band  left  me  and  took  my  little  boy  from  me.  I  am  homeless  and 
without  money,  and  no  place  to  go  to.  God  does  not  care  for  one 
like  me.”  —  One  taken  from  the  streets  by  the  Workers. 

“  Never  can  thank  you  enough  for  taking  me  to  your  home  from 
the  Hospital.” 

“  Would  go  home  if  I  thought  father  and  mother  would  let  me 
come.” — Housekeeper  in  a  Sporting  House . 

“  Just  as  well  stay  in  this  house  of  prostitution  and  be  known 
as  a  bad  woman,  as  stand  behind  a  counter  all  week  for  $5.00,  and 
then  go  on  the  street  two  or  three  nights  to  piece  out  the  miserable 
pittance  of  a  salary.” — Formerly  a  Clerk. 

There  is  one  feature  of  much  of  the  relief  work 
carried  on  by  either  public  or  private  charity,  and  that 
is,  there  is  too  much  red  tape  about  it.  This  poor 
woman  can’t  be  kept  in  the  poor  house,  she  must  go  to 
some  other  place,  but  where,  nobody  knows;  and  she, 
poor  wretch,  mind  and  body  sick  and  sore  with  pain, 
disease,  misery,  sin,  knows  not  how  to  pull  the  ropes, 
and  as  one  gentleman  said  to  us  only  yesterday,  u  So 
long  is  the  journey  of  the  poverty  and  sin-stricken  soul 
to  the  place  of  relief  that  death  often  meets  it  on  the 
way.”  And  this  is  true.  Every  charity  organization 
should  be  an  Immediate  Relief  Society.  Relegate  red 


1 64 

tape  to  where  it  belongs — the  Bureau  of  Circumlocu¬ 
tion  of  Little  Dorrit  days,  and  let  us  have  some  method 
whereby  our  poor  and  distressed  may  be  relieved  im¬ 
mediately  and  kindly. 

The  public  press  has  over  and  over  again  spoken 
fearlessly  and  kindly  for  the  needy  on  this  subject,  and 
we  trust  their  words  are  having  effect,  and  that  soon 
every  society  will  be  in  such  a  condif’on  as  to  allow  its 
officers  at  any  time  to  give  immediate  help,  until  the 
society  to  whom  the  case  really  belongs  can  be  called  to 
attend  to  it. 


THE  AGENCIES  OF  REFORM. 


A  Word  to  Professing 
Christians. 


“  All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them  :  for  this  is  the  law  and  the 
prophets.”  — The  Golden  Rule  of  Christ. 

THIS  chapter  was  written  by  a  Christian  man 
after  reading  the  foregoing  pages.  In  re¬ 
sponse  to  our  request  he  explained  his  motive 
as  follows:  Professing  Christians  stand  upon  a  different 
platform  from  that  occupied  by  non-professors.  The 
former  declare  to  the  world  that  they  accept  Jesus 
Christ  as  their  teacher,  and  the  New  Testament  as 
their  divinely  inspired  guide.  Now  by  these  standards 
I  wish  to  show  them  exactly  how  men  of  the  world 
regard  their  conduct.  Excuse  me  if  I  write  plainly. 

We  now  leave  the  remainder  of  the  chapter  to  our 
friend. 

Let  me  premise  that  in  all  I  here  say  I  am  not 
finding  fault  with  those  people  in  the  churches  who  are 
honestly  doing  what  they  can  to  help  and  benefit  others 
— whether  by  money,  visitation,  food  or  good-will. 
These  remarks  are  only  for  those  professing  Christians, 
whose  Christianity  goes  no  further  than  profession  and 
their  little  round  of  church  duties,  which  with  them 
produce  no  fruit  for  the  good  of  others.  I  have  read 
your  chapters  on  Poverty,  the  Saloon  Evil,  and  those 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


1 66 

which  follow,  and  am  personally  cognizant  of  much 
you  describe.  Do  you  wonder  if  in  the  face  of  all  these 
facts  that  unbelievers  often  contend  that  much 
of  our  so  called  Christianity  is  sheer,  pure,  unadulter¬ 
ated  humbug?  George  MacDonald  once  said  the  best 
way  to  show  our  love  to  God,  our  Father,  was  by  being 
kind  unto  some  of  his  other  children;  and  yet  too  many 
of  us,  who  are  named  by  the  name  of  Christ — the  man 
of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief,  who  went  about 
doing  good,  seeking  the  lost,  healing  the  sick,  relieving 
the  distressed,  and  comforting  the  sorrowing — we ,  his 
professed  followers,  shun  hearing  of  the  misery  and 
sorrows  of  our  brethren  and  sisters. 

“Oh!  don’t  tell  me  such  terrible  things!  I  don’t 
want  to  hear  them!  I  can’t  sleep  if  you  tell  me  of  such 
horrors!  I  lay  awake  and  think  about  them — I  dream 
about  them  and  then  in  the  morning  I  have  such  a 
fearful  headache.” 

These  are  some  of  the  responses  that  are  called 
forth  by  our  eftorts  to  arouse  Christian  men  and  women 
to  their  duty. 

Yet!  dear  friend!  what  are  your  one  or  two  paltry 
headaches  or  heartaches  in  the  midst  of  your  luxury  and 
plenty  for  body  and  mind,  compared  with  the  constant 
headaches  and  heartaches  of  these  poor,  neglected  ones 
who  are  the  .Lord’s  children  as  much  as  you;  nay,  they 
may  be  more  worthy  than  you;  they  may  be  honoring 
and  glorifying  God  in  their  distress  far  more  abundantly 
than  you  in  your  luxury. 

Can  you  give  me  any  reason  from  the  Bible,  or 
anywhere  else,  why  you  should  be  so  especially  favored, 
and  these  left  so  desolate  and  forlorn?  Are  you  indeed 
so  much  better  than  they  ?  So  much  more  deserving? 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


167 


Is  it  a  proof  of  God’s  especial  regard  that  you  are  thus 
circumstanced?  I  am  free  to  confess  not  only  my  doubt 
that  it  is  so,  but  oftentimes  my  positive  assurance  that 
it  is  not  so — for  now,  as  in  David’s  time,  it  is  perfectly 
true  that  the  wicked  are  often  seen  in  great  power  and 
spreading  themselves  as  the  green  bay  tree. 

Christ  Himself  has  laid  down  the  law  as  to  what 
constitutes  his  discipleship.  “  If  'any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross 
daily  and  follow  me.”  Is  it  following  Christ  to  do 
exactly  the  opposite  to  that  which  He  did  when  upon 
the  earth  ?  His  ear  was  ever  open  to  the  wail  of  sorrow ; 
He  never  repelled  with  the  cry,  “  Such  horrible  things 
keep  me  awake !  ”  He  went  to  the  sufferer  when  called* 
not — “  Oh  dear,  I  can’t  go  there,  such  awful  sights  take 
all  my  pleasure  away!”  In  Christ’s  day  the  expression 
of  his  true  disciple  was,  “Here  am  I!  Send  me!” 
But  this  is  now  changed  to,  “  Here’s  my  check!  Send 
some  one  else!”  and  in  many  cases,  “  Don’t  bother  me! 
It’s  none  of  my  business.”  To  such  as  these  latter  let 
me  commend  the  following  lines: 

NONE  OF  OUR  BUSINESS. 

[A  little  girl  was  heard  to  finish  her  evening  prayer  with  these  words : 
“  And  I  saw  a  poor  little  girl  on  the  street  to-day,  cold  and  barefooted;  but  it’s 
none  of  our  business,  is  it  God  ?”] 

“  None  of  our  business  !  ”  wandering  and  sinful, 

All  through  the  streets  of  the  city  they  go, 

Hungry  and  homeless  in  the  wild  weather — 

“None  of  our  business!”  Dare  we  say  so? 

“  None  of  our  business!”  Children’s  wan  faces, 

Haggard  and  old  with  their  suffering  and  sin; 

Hold  fast  your  darling?  on  tender,  warm  bosoms; 

Sorrow  without,  but  the  home-light  within. 


1 68 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


What  does  it  matter  that  some  other  woman — 

Some  common  mother — in  bitter  despair, 

Wails  in  a  garret,  or  s’ts  in  a  cellar, 

Too  broken-hearted  for  weeping  or  prayer? 

“  None  of  our  business  !”  Sinful  and  fallen, 

How  they  may  jostle  us  close  on  the  street ! 

Hold  back  your  garment !  Scorn?  They  are  used  to  it ; 
Pass  on  the  other  side,  lest  you  should  meet. 

44  None  of  our  business  !”  On,  then,  the  music  ; 

•  On  with  the  feasting,  though  hearts  break  forlorn  ; 

Somebody’s  hungry,  somebody’s  freezing, 

Somebody’s  soul  will  be  lost  ere  the  morn. 

Somebody’s  dying,  (on  with  the  dancing!) 

One  for  earth’s  pottage  is  selling  her  soul  ; 

One  for  a  bauble  has  bartered  his  birthright, 

Selling  his  all  for  a  pitiful  dole. 

Ah,  but  One  goeth  abroad  on  the  mountains, 

Over  lone  deserts  with  burning  deep  sands! 

Seeking  the  lost  ones,  (it  is  His  business !) 

Bruised  though  His  feet  are,  and  torn  though  His  hands. 

Thorn-crowned  His  head  and  His  soul  sorrow-stricken, 
(Saving  men’s  souls  at  such  infinite  cost), 

Broken  His  heart  for  the  grief  of  the  nations! 

It  is  His  business  saving  the  lost! 

Ah!  men  and  women  of  the  Christian  churches,  I 
am  sick  of  such  shoddy  Christianity — I  am  disgusted 
with  a  Christianity  that  knows  not  Christ  and  His 
methods.  Shame  on  you,  those  of  you,  who  do  not 
His  will  in  this  regard — you  are  of  the  race  of  Scribes 
and  Pharisees — not  one  whit  better — who  lick  the  out¬ 
side  of  the  platter,  and  who  within  are  whited  sepul¬ 
chers. 

Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  if  the  Christian  men 
and  women  of  this  city  were,  themselves ,  unaided  and 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS,  V-Jj 

alone,  without  any  help  from  the  city  officials,  or  any 
one  else,  determined  that  they  would  themselves 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  these,  God’s  poor — for  all , 
all l  are  His — that  three  months  would  elapse  before 
there  would  be  such  a  change  as  would  make  Chicago 
a  heaven  to  these  poor  wretches,  after  the  hell  it  ha? 
been  and  now  is  to  them. 

You  pay  your  pastors  large  salaries,  and  for  whatf 
Here  is  one  who  receives  $3,000,  another  $4,000, 
another  $5,000,  another  $6,000,  and  there  are  more 
than  one  who  receive  $8,000  per  year.  Do  you  demand 
of  them  that  they  follow  the  example  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  Jesus?  No!  No!  You  expect  them  to  spend 
some  of  their  time  calling  upon  you!  They  must 
occupy  exhaustive  hours  of  study  in  preparing  sv/eet 
platitudes  for  you.  They  must  read  all  the  current 
literature  of  the  day  to  charm  your  intellectual  palates! 
The  sermon  must  be  a  finished  production,  whatever 
else  is  neglected. 

Now!  don’t  tell  me  that  this  is  ranting.  Look 
squarely  at  the  facts!  Do  you  honestly  like  your 
preachers  to  declare  the  truth  to  you?  Do  you  want 
them  to  preach  the  gospel  as  Christ  lived  and  preached 
it — Christ  who  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head — Christ 
who  was  the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners?  Christ 
who  sat  calmly  whilst  the  poor  prostitute  bathed  His 
feet  with  her  tears  and  wiped  them  with  her  hair? 
Why,  if  your  pastor  were  to  go  alone ,  trusting  to  his 
innocency  of  heart,  and  purity  of  intention,  to  visit 
some  of  these  poor  wretches,  nine-tenths  of  you  would, 
at  once,  begin  to  fling  mud  at  him. 

If  he  were  to  dare  to  openly  speak  of  the  sins  you 
commit,  some  of  you  would  at  once  leave  the  church; 


170 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


others  would  probably  demand  that  he  resign;  a  very 
few  would  uphold  him  in  his  course. 

If  he  were  to  tell  you  your  plain  duty  in  regard  to 
the  poor  drunkards,  prostitutes,  waifs  and  thieves,  he 
would  never  survive  the  storm  of  wrath  and  indigna¬ 
tion  some  of  you  would  visit  upon  him. 

After  listening  to  a  sermon  you  go  away,  and  say 
one  to  another,  “How  fine!  What  brilliant  thoughts! 
What  sparkling  genius!  What  delightful  rhetoric!” 
instead  of  saying,  “  I  am  moved  to  a  more  helpful  life! 
I  have  been  too  selfish!  I  have  done  too  little  for 
others!  I  will  henceforth  be  more  like  Christ!”  Alas! 
there  is  too  much  easy  preaching ,  and  too  little  living 
che  real  Christ  life. 

“  No!  No!  we  must  keep  up  the  “social  standing” 
of  our  church,  and  we  much  prefer  that  these  people  do 
not  come  near  us  lest  we  be  polluted  by  them.” 

Poor,  weak  Christians,  how  I  pity  you!  If  your 
Christianity  is  of  such  a  weak",  milk-and-water  charac¬ 
ter  that  it  is  afraid  of  the  vice  that  comes  to  your 
churches  to  seek  for  good,  it  is  not  worth  much. 

You  are  sadly  degenerate  from  the  times  of  the 
martyrs — those  who  would  dare  anything,  all  things, 
for  Christ.  For  here  are  you,  daren’t  risk  your  social 
standing — your  position  in  society,  to  help  save  these 
poor  souls,  who  are  God’s  children  just  as  much  as  you, 
and  for  whom — if  what  you  say  you  believe,  be  true — 
Christ  died. 

Be  men!  be  women!  do  your  duty!  Lay  the  axe 
to  the  root  of  this  tree  of  evil.  There  is  but  one 
remedy,  and  that  is  to  do  away  with  your  own  selfish¬ 
ness.  For  centuries  the  sages  and  philosophers  and 
statesmen  have  aimed  to  bring  about  the  ideal  republic. 


•TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


171 


It  has  not  yet  come,  and  it  never  will — unless  practi¬ 
cal  Christianity  brings  it.  That  is  the  only  remedy  for 
the  evil  and  misery.  Plato,  and  Socrates,  and  Solon, 
and  Pericles,  and  Caesar,  and  Bacon,  and  Sir  Thomas 
Moore,  and  Bulwer,  and  Bebel,  and  Bellamy,  and  all 
the  rest,  may  write  of  the  Ideal  State,  the  Republic  of 
the  F  uture,  and  their  ideas  are  “  utopian  ”  indeed. 
The  practical  remedy  is  the  one  which  such  reformers(  ? ) 
deem  the  most  utopian  of  all — that  you  by  your  actions, 
if  not  by  your  words, deem  so  utterly  u  impracticable ,” — 
and  that  remedy  is  the  simple  living  by  Christian  people 
of  the  law  of  love.  “  Doing  unto  others  that  which 
we  would  have  them  do  unto  us;”  exemplifying  the 
grand  words  of  Paul  set  forth  in  1  Coi\,  13  chapter. 

Let  me  illustrate:  You,  Christian,  with  wealth, 
luxury,  position,  education,  culture,  refinement,  place 

yourself  in  the  place  of  Mrs.  - ,  mentioned  on 

page  25,  and  let  her  take  your  place. 

Now,  how  would  you  have  her  do  to  you  in  such 
circumstances? 

May  I  tell  you  what  I  think — nay,  what  I  am 
sure  you  would  say,  if  your  positions  were  reversed 
to-day!  This  is  what  you  would  say:  “  Why  has  God 
blessed  her  so  much  more  than  He  has  blessed  me.  I 
have  tried  to  do  His  will — I  do  seek  to  be  His,  and  yet 
she  is  so  blessed  and  I  am  so  down-trodden.  Now,  if 
the  love  of  God  dwells  in  her ,  surely  she  will  see  my 
need  and  give  to  me  some  of  her  wealth.  She  spends 
$50  for  an  afternoon  tea;  $100  for  a  new  party  gown. 
Why  half  of  that  would  be  such  a  help  to  me,  and  she 
ought  to  give  it  to  me!  Then,  too,  I  have  no  friends, 
no  loving  sympathy  from  anyone,  and  a  few  words 
from  a  true ,  loving  heart  would  make  my  life  so  bright. 


172 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


A  hearty,  sympathetic  friendship  would  be  such  a  com¬ 
fort  to  me.” 

Yes!  and  I  think  in  the  main  you  would  be  right. 

She  ought  to  give,  and  therefore  you  ought  now  to 

* 

give  to  her .  “  To  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and 

doeth  it  not,  to  him  is  it  sin!  ” 

This  is  the  remedy,  and  the  only  remedy  for 
poverty  and  vice.  It  is  God’6  plan — a  plan  that  the 
majority  of  Christians  have  never  tested.  Tou  can  test 
its  efficacy  and  can  begin  at  once.  No  need  to  wait  for 
your  neighbor  to  do  his  duty  ere  you  do  yours.  Go, 
with  the  pure  love  of  Christ  in  your  heart,  and  beaming 
in  your  eyes,  and  radiant  upon  your  face,  to  these,  your 
brothers  and  sisters ,  and  as  their  sister  or  brother, 
minister  to  their  needs.  Not  send  your  servant  with  a 
little  broth  or  a  pot  of  jelly!  That  is  cold-hearted 
cruelty! — what  people  in  misery  want  is  love,  as  well  as 
broth  and  jam.  Go  and  love  them  with  Christ's  love. 
“  As  /  havedoved  you,  even  so  love  ye  one  another.” 
Do  you  wonder  at  Ingersollism  running  rampant  in  the 
minds  of  some  thinkers,  who,  looking  at  your  exempli¬ 
fication  of  Christianity,  say  it  is  all  humbug  and  hypo¬ 
crisy.  I  don’t,  and  neither  will  you,  if  you  will  measure 
your  life  by  the  standard  laid  down  for  you  by  Christ. 

And  now  a  few  words  to  the  ministers.  What  I 
have  written  to  the  pew  applies  equally  to  you.  Instead 
of  wasting  time  and  strength  arguing  about  dogmas 
and  doctrines,  upon  which  you  never  can  agree,  expend 
the  strength  and  time  in  “  going  about  doing  good.” 
Take  comfort  to  the  suffering  and  distressed,  instead  of 
locking  yourselves  up  in  your  studies. 

Listen  to  what  one  of  your  number,  the  Rev. 
David  Swing,  says  to  and  of  you: 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


173 


“  Whatever  may  be  the  number  and  the  value  of  religious  doc¬ 
trines,  this  age  makes  use  of  very  few,  and  these  are  such  as  tend  to 
make  men  better.  Christianity  is  now  a  great  reform,  and  its  clergy¬ 
men  must  needs  be  reformers.  They  must  avoid  fanaticism,  but 
there  is  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  real  human  betterment  they  must 
not  attempt  to  establish.  If  the  pulpit  could  raise  the  wages  of  the 
sewing  woman  and  lower  her  house  rent,  and  the  price  of  her  coal 
and  bread,  it  should  do  so.  Helpfulness  is  a  dogma  which  over¬ 
shadows  the  questions  which  once  engaged  Abelard  and  Jonathan 
Edwards.  As  was  natural  in  a  world  full  of  development,  sympathy 
for  a  soul  in  danger  of  hell  has  widened  so  as  to  include  the  person 
in  danger  of  hunger  and  cold.’’ 

It  is  a  good  thing,  Prof.  Swing,  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  helpfulness,  and  urge  the  people  to  their  duty  ; 
but  I  respectfully  suggest  that  both  an  easier  and  a 
better  way  is  so  to  hold  up  Christ — not  as  an  example, 
but  as  our  real  life ,  that  the  people  will  become  intoxi¬ 
cated  with  His  love ;  then  they  will  repeat  the  story,  and 
sin  will  be  expelled  by  the  power  of  this  new  and 
mightier  affection. 

Again  I  quote  from  Prof.  Swing: 

“  What  most  deeply  injures  the  pulpit  of  our  day  is  the  exces¬ 
sive  growth  of  all  material  things — houses,  furniture,  money  and  all 
display — a  palace  in  the  foreground,  with  a  small  half-doubted  God 
far  off  in  the  rear.  The  clergyman’s  dinner  is  richer  than  his 
worship.  We  are  all  so  near  alike  in  this  humiliating  defect  that  we 

are  interested  in  keeping  silence . Within  the  walls  of  all 

the  Christian  denominations  there  is  abundant  room  for  the  outpour¬ 
ing  of  the  religious  heart.  It  is  well,  therefore,  for  the  heart  to  have 
something  to  pour  out.” 

Live  Christ’s  life,  go  about  doing  good,  help  the 
sick,  comfort  the  suffering  and  distressed,  preach  his 
gospel  of  helpfulness  to  your  people,  urge  them  to  their 
duty,  expose  their  sins  of  pride  and  selfishness  fearlessly, 
and  do  your  whole  duty  even  though  you  be  cast  into 
a  lion’s  den  like  Daniel,  a  fiery  furnace  like  Shadrach, 


174 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


Meshach  and  Abednego,  a  prison  like  Paul,  or  suffer  a 
martyrdom  like  thousands  of  better  men  who  have 
lived  before  you. 

And  with  regard  to  the  grosser  vices,  I  commend 
to  you,  with  my  own  emendations  and  additions,  the 
words  of  the  Rev.  M.  W.  Pressley,  D.  D.,  of  Philadel¬ 
phia.  He  says,  speaking  to  ministers  of  the  gospel: 

“  I  trust  that  we  shall  not  be  ashamed  to  have  our 
ministerial  robes  corrupted,  if  it  require  it,  with  contact 
with  suffering,  sinful,  sinning  humanity.” 

Now!  look  at  this  statement.  The  learned  doctor 
says  “  if  it  require  it.”  The  world  is  going  to  the  devil 
at  break-neck  speed,  and  yet  he  hopes  the  ministers  of 
the  Christ — who  did  nothing  else  but  u  corrupt  His 
robes  ”  by  contact  with  sinning  humanity — will  not  be 
ashamed  to  do  likewise!  When  will  doctors  of  divinity 
learn  that  it  is  Christ  who  is  to  be  followed  and  not 
the  petty  dogmas  and  ideas  of  men? 

Again  he  says: 

“  I  believe  if  our  religion  could  be  soiled  by  an 
honest  contact  with  these  living,  awful,  damning  reali¬ 
ties  that  we  have  to  face  in  our  cities,  it  would  be  far 
better  for  us.” 

Let  me  ask,  “  Can  religion  be  soiled?”  I  say  a 
religion  that  does  not  come  into  contact  with  these 
“  living,  awful,  damning  realities  ”  is  a  humbug  and  a 
sham  of  the  first  water,  a  vile  travesty  upon  the  Christ 
whose  name  is  polluted  by  being  used  to  designate  such 
a  system.  Religion  can  never  be  soiled.  True  fol¬ 
lowers  of  Christ  will  never  have  a  fear  of  being  soiled. 
His  message  was  purely  and  simply  to  those  and  for 
those  who  are  soiled,  and  any  man,  any  woman,  who 
professes  to  be  His  ambassador  in  these  later  days  who 


TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 


175 


dares  to  talk  about  being  “  soiled  ”  in  delivering  His 
message,  is  a  craven  and  a  traitor,  and  should  leave  the 
ranks. 

The  Doctor  continues: 

“  I  do  believe  that  if  we  do  not  very  soon  meet 
and  master  this  gigantic  evil,  we  shall  see  the  cancer 
developing  upon  the  very  body  of  Christ.” 

Yes,  Doctor!  we  who  look  do  already  see  it 
developing,  and  we  pray  you  and  all  other  true  hearted 
ministers  to  speak  out  boldly,  and  live  most  positively 
the  life  that  will  kill  such  corrupting  evils. 

4In  conclusion,  let  me  urge  you  to  quit  preach¬ 
ing  about  theological  dogmas,  splitting  hairs  that  are 
of  no  earthly  or  heavenly  use  when  split,  and  go  to 
work  earnestly,  leading  men  to  apply  Christ’s  life  to 
themselves  to-day  and  yourselves  setting  the  example 
to  your  people. 

Then,  and  then  only,  shall  you  be  truly  Christ-like 
pastors,  and  your  people  become  truly  Christ-like 
people.  God  hasten  the  day  when  this  may  come. 

I  have  written  plainly,  and  of  course  some  of  you 
will  say  offensively.  The  question  with  me  is  not, 
whether  I  have  offended  you;  that  I  care  little  about  ; 
but,  have  I  spoken  the  truth  in  love,  have  I  showed  you 
your  duty  in  the  face  of  these  awful  and  stern  facts  of 
suffering,  sorrow  and  sin? 

I  know  that  of  which  I  speak,  when  I  say  that 
pure  and  undefiled  Christianity  is  the  only  remedy  for 
the  woe  of  the  world.  Tom  Moore  wrote  aright — 
spoke  truthfully  when  his  heart  prompted  that  hymn 
you  doubtless  often  sing, 

“  Earth  hath  no  sorrow  that  Heaven  cannot  heal.” 

The  history  of  all  reform  work;  the  experience  of 


176  TO  PROFESSING  CHRISTIANS. 

the  only  successful  workers,  such  as  John  Howard, 
Granville  Sharp,  Elizabeth  Fry.,  Margaret  Priorv 
Florence  Nightingale,  Sister  Dora,  Miss  Robinson, 
Mrs.  Garnaut,  with  our  own  Moody,  and  many  others 
unknown  to  fame,  but  earnestly  doing  the  work  of  the 
Master,  all  demonstrate  that,  it  is  the  personal,  loving 
contact  of  hearts  full  of  divine  sympathy  and  affection 
that  is  to  uplift  the  masses,  and  nothing  else  will . 
Christ  is  heaven  brought  to  earth,  and  when  the  earth 
knows  Christ,  sin  and  sorrow  will  cease,  and  never 
until . 


Suggestive  Remedies . 


“The  two  most  remarkable  cities  in  the  world  are 
Rome  and  Chicago.”  — Professor  Park  of  Andover. 

“  Cities  are  moral  battle  grounds.”  — Dr.  Dorchester. 

“  Except  the  Lord  keep  the  city;  the  watchman  waketh 
but  in  vain.”  -  — The  Hebrew  Scriptures. 

“  In  our  desire  to  ameliorate  the  evil  condition  of  men, 
show  us  the  loftiest  peak  to  which  the  human  mind  and 
heart  can  soar.  There,  on  that  peak  we  take  our  stand 
to-day,  and  gaze  upward  and  onward  to  a  still  loftier  emi¬ 
nence,  upon  which  we  may  take  our  stand  to-morrow.” 

— A  nonymous. 


AS  THE  writer  of  the  preceding  chapter  has  said, 
so  do  we  believe,  there  is  but  one  remedy  for  all 
the  suffering  and  vice  of  Chicago,  and  indeed  of 
the  world.  Whatever  creed  or  no  creed  men  may  have,  the 
remedy  consists  in  living  the  life  of  unselfish  love .  The 
Golden  Rule  covers  it  all.  We  may  “Look  Backward  ” 
and  “Look  Forward,”  and  look  everywhere,  and  our 
looking  will  be  but  effort  expended  in  vain.  The  look¬ 
ing  must  be  Ufvoard.  Not  only  for  ourselves  but  for 
others.  Our  lives  must  be  practical  for  others,  as  well 
as  for  ourselves.  The  world  is  cursed  by  selfishness; 
it  must  be  saved  by  Christ,  who  is  the  embodiment  of 
self-sacrifice.  All  religions  that  have  had  any  power 
are  based  on  this.  Buddha  Gautama  would  have  lived 
and  taught  in  vain  without  this  as  his  keynote.  Even 


i78 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


Confucianism  means  a  burying  of  selfhood  in  reverent 
worship  of  ancestry — Mahomedamisn  meant  a  sinking 
of  self  now,  death  even  now,  in  order  to  make  others 
followers  of  the  prophet.  Mormonism  demands  self- 
abnegation,  obedience  to  leaders.  And  we  may  theorize 
about  reform  all  we  wish,  and  theorize  forever,  we 
believe  that  no  other  reforming  of  life  and  character 
can  come  except  through  that  spirit  of  loving  helpful¬ 
ness,  which  the  Christian  calls  the  spirit  of  Christ.  We 
do  not  care  by  what  name  it  is  known!  We  do  not 
care  who  manifests  it!  That  man,  that  woman,  let  him 
or  her  be  called  Christian,  atheist,  agnostic  or  heathen, 
who  sinks  self  in  a  practical  uplifting  of  others,  whether 
in  body,  mind  or  soul,  is  the  true  reformer,  the  true 
philanthropist,  and  the  true  child  of  the  Heavenly 
F  ather. 

And  all  we  have  to  suggest  will  but  be  amplifica¬ 
tions  of  this  principle,  or  what  seem  to  us  to  be  practi¬ 
cal  applications  of  it  in  multifarious  and  diverse  ways. 

In  conjunction  with  this  spirit  of  helpfulness,  there 
should  likewise  be  a  corresponding  sternness  in  dealing 
with  those  whose  lives  are  devoted  to  a  selfish  preying 
upon  their  weaker  neighbors.  This  spirit  of  punish¬ 
ment  is  not  revengeful,  but  is  a  protective  measure  for 
those  who  need  the  protection  of  others,  and  is  also  in¬ 
tended  to  act  as  a  deterrent  to  those  who  are  guilty. 

There  is  one  remedy  which  many  leading  men  in 
the  scientific  world  believe  to  be  the  only  practicable 
solution  of  one  part  of  the  problem,  although  few  are 
brave  and  bold  enough  to  openly  advocate  it. 

The  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  as  it  operates 
in  nature — uninterfered  with  by  man — invariably  drives 
the  weakest  to  the  wall.  He  who  has  not  strength  to 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


179 


win  a  place  for  himself  in  the  struggle  for  existence, 
and  there  maintain  it,  is  remorselessly  thrust  aside,  and 
his  life  trampled  out. 

Amongst  human  beings,  the  humanitarian  feeling 
and  sentiment  combats  this  doctrine  of  the  survival  of 
the  fittest,  and  some  amongst  the  strong  seek  to  help 
the  weak  and  protect  them  in  the  fierce  struggle  for 
life  Now  what  is  the  result, — says  our  scientist, — and 
we  would  especially  caution  the  reader  that  we  are  here 
giving  the  scientist’s  position,  and  not  our  own. 

The  result  is,  says  he,  that  the  weak  are  helped  to 
the  general  deterioration  of  the  race . 

For  instance:  When  we  allow  our  feelings  of 
humanity  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the  speedy  death  of 
the  hopelessly  diseased  and  the  habitually  criminal,  we 
give  to  these  classes  the  opportunity  they  are  never  slow 
to  avail  themselves  of,  viz.,  to  propagate  their  kind,  and 
more  diseased  and  criminal  are  thrust  into  the  conflict. 
We  take  these  vitiated  children, — cherish  and  protect 
them, — forgetful  of  the  fact  that  when  their  turn 
comes,  they  will  become  the  progenitors  of  the  criminal 
and  diseased  classes  of  the  future.  Such  people  should 
be  prevented  by  law  from  becoming  parents,  they 
should  be  rendered  physically  incapable  of  generating, 
and  thus  the  weaker  and  the  more  vicious  types  would 
speedily  die  out. 

This — the  theory  of  emasculation — is  that  offered 
by  some  scientists  as  the  great  cure  all  and  preventative. 

But  how  would  it  work?  How  about  the  diseased 
and  vicious  amongst  the  rich?  Their  riches  would 
enable  them  to  overcome  the  law — wealth  can  ever  find 
means  for  the  gratification  of  all  appetites,  and  the 
sexual  appetite,  being  the  strongest  and  most  powerful 


i8o 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


of  all,  would  resist,  with  all  the  strength  and  vigor  of 
which  it  was  capable,  any  restraint  of  its  exercise. 

No!  no!  the  theory  could  never  be  put  into  prac¬ 
tice.  The  diseased  and  the  poor  and  the  criminal  are 
with  us,  and  will  remain  with  us,  until  we  lift  them 
from  their  disease,  their  poverty  and  their  criminality. 
The  instinct  of  sympathy  is  one  of  the  differentiations 
of  the  higher  animal  species  from  the  lower ;  for,  whilst 
we  do  not  forget  that  in  all  anatomical  and  physiologi¬ 
cal  features  man  is  exactly  the  same  as  all  other  mam¬ 
malia,  we  do  recognize  that  he  is  human  as  distin¬ 
guished  from  the  brute .  And  the  instinct  of  sympathy 
is  one  of  the  broad  lines  of  demarkation  existent 
between  the  brute  and  the  man.  We  call  it  an  instinct, 
whether  this  be  the  scientific  term  or  not.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  the  average  child  in  its  very  earliest 
years  shows  itself  possessed  of  this  sentimental  quality, 
and  it  is  only  by  years  of  hard  battling  in  the  world 
that  the  fierce  race  for  position  and  wealth  dulls  the 
fine  edge  of  this  sympathetic  feeling.  But  there  are 
those  who  tenderly  cultivate  this  feeling  as  one  of  the 
highest  of  human  possessions,  and  so  long  as  man  pos¬ 
sesses  sympathy  it  will  be  impossible  for  him  to  coolly 
stand  by  and  see  the  ruthless  law  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest  driving  the  weaker  to  the  wall. 

ON  THE  MAKING  OF  CRIMINALS. 

In  our  treatment  of  criminals  much  might  be  done 
to  improve  the  existent  state  of  affairs.  How  much 
we  might  learn  even  from  the  Buddhist  who  prayed: 
u  I  pray  thee  to  have  pity  on  the  vicious — thou  hast 
already  had  pity  on  the  virtuous  by  making  them  so.” 
Socrates  taught  a  lesson  that  the  people  of  Chicago 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


181 


would  do  well  to  learn,  when  he  said:  “It  is  strange 
that  you  should  not  be  angry  when  you  meet  a  man 
with  an  ill-conditioned  body,  and  yet  be  vexed  when 
you  encounter  one  with  an  ill-conditioned  soul.” 

Nothing  better  and  more  practical  that  we  know 
of  has  been  uttered  on  this  subject  than  by  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll  in  his  “  Crimes  against  Criminals,”  and  from 
this  speech  we  extract  the  following :  “  Who  ever  is 
degraded  by  society  becomes  its  enemy.  The  seeds  of 
malice  are  sown  in  his  heart,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death 
he  will  hate  the  hands  that  sowed  the  seeds. 

A  punishment  that  degrades  the  punished  wil1  degrade 
the  man  who  inflicts  the  punishment,  and  will  degrade 
the  government  that  procures  the  infliction.  The 
whipping-post  pollutes,  not  only  the  whipped,  but  the 
whipper,  and  not  only  the  whipper  but  the  community 
at  large.  Wherever  its  shadow  falls  it  degrades.”  .  .  . 

u  The  convict  is  the  pavement  on  which  those  who 
watch  him  walk.  He  remains  for  the  time  of  his 
sentence,  and  when  that  expires  he  goes  forth  a  branded 
man.  He  is  given  money  enough  to  pay  his  fare  back 

to  the  place  from  whence  he  cae . 

“What  is  the  condition  of  this  man?  Can  he  get 
employment?  Not  if  he  honestly  states  who  he  is  and 
where  he  has  been.  The  first  thing  he  does  is  to  deny 
his  personality,  to  assume  a  name.  He  endeavors  by 
telling  falsehoods  to  lay  the  foundation  for  future  good 
conduct.  The  average  man  does  not  wish  to  employ 
an  ex-convict,  because  the  average  man  has  no  confi¬ 
dence  in  the  reforming  power  of  the  penitentiary.  He 
believes  that  the  convict  who  comes  out  is  worse  than 
the  convict  who  went  in.  He  knows  that  in  the  peni¬ 
tentiary  the  heart  of  this  man  has  been  hardened — that 


182 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


he  has  been  subjected  to  the  torture  of  perpetual  humili¬ 
ation — that  he  has  been  treated  like  a  ferocious  beast; 
and  so  he  believes  that  this  ex-convict  has  in  his  heart 
hatred  for  society,  that  he  feels  he  has  been  degraded 
and  robbed.  Under  these  circumstances,  what  avenue 
is  open  to  the  ex-convict?  If  he  changes  his  name, 
there  will  be  some  detective,  some  officer  of  the  law, 
some  meddlesome  wretch,  who  will  betray  his  secret. 
He  is  then  discharged.  He  seeks  employment  again, 
and  he  must  seek  it  by  again  telling  what  is  not  true. 
He  is  again  detected,  and  again  discharged.  And 
finally  he  becomes  convinced  that  he  cannot  live  as  an 
honest  man.  He  naturally  drifts  back  into  the  society 
of  those  who  have  had  a  little  experience;  and  the 
result  is  that  in  a  little  while  he  again  stands  in  the 
dock,  charged  with  the  commission  of  another  crime. 
Again  he  is  sent  to  the  penitentiary — and  this  is  the 
end.  He  feels  that  his  day  is  done,  that  the  future  has 
only  degradation  for  him.” 

The  convict  should  feel  the  protecting  power  cf 
the  state.  He  should  be  given  a  u  chance  ”  when 
discharged.  Some  of  his  prison  earnings  should  be 
given  to  him  to  begin  life  anew. 

“  This  would  give  him  food  and  raiment,  enable 
him  to  go  to  some  other  state  or  country  where  he 
could  redeem  himself.  If  this  were  done,  thousands  of 
convicts  would  feel  under  immense  obligation  to  the 
government.  They  would  think  of  the  penitentiary  as 
the  place  in  which  they  were  saved — in  which  they 
were  redeemed — and  they  would  feel  that  the  verdict 
of  guilty  rescued  them  from  the  abyss  of  crime. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  law  would  appear 
beneficent,  and  the  heart  of  the  poor  convict,  instead  of 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


183 


being  filled  with  malice,  would  overflow  with  gratitude. 
He  would  see  the  propriety  of  the  course  pursued  by 
the  government.  He  would  recognize  and  feel  and  ex¬ 
perience  the  benefits  of  this  course,  and  the  result  would 
be  good,  not  only  to  him,  but  to  the  nation  as  well.” 

Hardened  criminals  should  be  kindly  treated,  but 
prevented  from  propagating  their  kind.  The  death 
penalty  should  be  abolished  for  many  and  divers 
reasons. 

Prisoners  treated  in  this  wav  would  be  far  more 
likely  to  reform,  and  thus  one  of  the  greatest  difficulties 
of  city  life  would  be  materially  lessened. 

Another  suggestion  as  to  the  treatment  of  the 
insane.  There  should  be  a  society  organized  by  good, 
kindly  men  and  women  for  the  protection  of  the 
insane.  There  is  no  such  society  in  existence  in  the 
world  as  far  as  we  know.  Such  a  society  could : 

1.  See  after  the  property  of  the  insane.  Many 
of  them  have  no  friends.  They  are  sent  to  the  asylum 
and  when  discharged  their  property  has  disappeared, 
and  they  are  completely  helpless  and  dependent  at  a 
time  when,  above  all  others,  they  should  be  cared  for. 

2.  To  find  the  friends  of  the  insane  who  are  not 

p 

aware  of  their  condition. 

3.  When  discharged  find  them  congenial  employ¬ 
ment,  or  care  for  them  until  such  work  is  found 

There  are  men  who  are  discharged  from  the 
asylum  cured;  they  try  to  find  work  and  fail;  in  des¬ 
peration  they  begin  to  drink,  and  in  a  few  days  are 
back  again  where  they  were  before,  a  further  expense 
to  the  country. 

Women  also  are  often  driven  into  vice  because 
they  know  not  where  to  go  or  what  do  when  the 


184 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


doors  of  the  asylum  close  behind  them  when  they  are 
dischaged  as  cured. 

As  far  as  we  know  there  is  no  Convalescent  Hos¬ 
pital  at  present  in  Chicago.  We  wonder  whether  the 
kind-hearted  of  our  city  are  aware  that  there  are  con¬ 
stantly  being  sent  out  from  the  various  hospitals,  and 
the  poor  infirm  men  and  women  who  are  no  longer  fit 
subjects  for  the  hospital,  but  are  no  more  capable  of 
earning  their  own  livelihood  or  battling  with  life  than 
is  a  two  year  old  baby.  Weakened  by  months  of 
combat  with  disease,  often  without  friends  or  money, 
discharged  as  cured,  they  need  loving  helpfulness  at 
this  time  just  as  much  as  they  did  when  they  were 
first  taken  to  the  hospital.  May  we  not  hope  that  this 
department  of  needed  work  will  ere  long  find  very 
many  willing  workers  and  ready  money,  so  that  these 
needy  ones  will  be  adequately  cared  for. 

POVERTY. 

“  When  rich  men  affirm  that  they  can  find  no  safe  and 
wise  use  for  their  money  in  public-spirited  charities,  they 
reveal  the  grossest  ignorance.” 

— Rev.  John  Henry  Barrows ,  D.  D. 

Indiscriminate  giving  to  the  poor  is  to  be  strongly 
deprecated.  Healthful  men  and  women  who  will 
not  work  should  starve.  But  when  one  wants 
to  work,  and  tries  hard  to  find  it,  and  starves  in 
the  attempt,  as  many  of  both  sexes  in  Chicago  are  now 
doing,  something  is  fearfully  wrong.  It  is  simple  non¬ 
sense  to  say  this  is  not  true,  and  it  is  equally  nonsensi¬ 
cal  to  say  that  those  who  are  brought  to  poverty  by 
their  own  unworthiness  should  stay  there  and  suffer. 
This  is  neither  good  humanity,  Christianity  or  common 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


185 

sense.  If  a  man  falls  down,  even  through  his  own  folly, 
neither  he  nor  the  world  will  be  benefitted  by  allowing 
him  to  remain  down  for  other  people  to  fall  over.  It 
will  fay  in  every  way  to  help  him  up,  and  then  help 
him  keep  his  feet  when  up.  Everything  that  does  this 
is  good,  everything  that  hinders  it  is  evil. 

In  discussing  these  remedies,  we  shall  endeavor  to 
present  them  somewhat  under  their  own  headings,  but 
it  will  be  impossible  to  prevent  one  section  from  over¬ 
lapping  into  another.  Poverty  and  all  crime  are  so 
dependent  one  upon  another,  and  various  crimes  are  so 
interwoven  that  it  is  impossible  to  completely  segregate 
them. 

Whilst  in  some  things  Chicago  holds  front  rank  in 
the  world,  it  is  sadly  negligent  in  its  care  for  the  poor. 
The  Lodging  Houses  of  Chicago  are  horrible  places  in 
which  the  abjectly  poor  are  compelled  by  stern  neces¬ 
sity  to  herd  together.  There  is  no  adequate  police 
supervision — the  keepers  are  under  no  special  require¬ 
ments  as  to  health  and  decency.  Such  places  are  too 
often  the  haunts  of  vice  and  crime,  as  well  as  of 
wretchedest  poverty.  This  could  be  remedied  as  has 
most  successfully  been  done  in  Glasgow,  Scotland.  In 
1870.  the  municipal  government  opened  two  model 
lodging  houses,  in  which  every  lodger  was  “  given  a 
separate  apartment,  or  stall,  in  one  of  the  high,  well 
ventilated  flats,  and  has  the  use  of  a  large  common 
sitting-room,  of  a  locker  for  provisions,  and  of  the  long 
kitchen  range  for  cooking  his  own  food.  The  charge 
per  night  is  3^  pence  or  4^  pence  (7  or  9  cents),  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  lodger’s  choice  of  a  bed  with  one  sheet 
or  with  two.  (In  any  case  he  rests  on  a  wire- woven 
mattress.)  ....  So  decidedly  successful  in  every  way 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


1 86 

were  these  institutions,  that  another  one  in  temporary 
quarters  was  opened  in  1S74,  to  be  replaced  by  a  large 
and  permanent  one  in  1S76.  In  1878  two  more  were 
opened,  and  a  seventh  and  last  in  1S79. 

Six  of  these  houses  are  for  men,  and  one  for 
women,  and  the  regulations  of  the  city  require  that  all 
lodging  houses  shall  be  for  one  sex  or  the  other  ex¬ 
clusively. 

The  effect  of  these  city  houses  has  been  to  lead 
private  enterprise  to  do  similarly,  conducting  their 
establishments  on  the  same  strict  rules  for  good  order 
and  cleanliness,  and  at  the  same  price.  The  incidental 
advantage,  or  we  should  say  direct  outcome,  of  such 
houses,  has  been  the  promotion  of  good  order, :  and 
hence  it  has  been  a  paying  investment  to  the  city  as  a 
police  measure,  and  far  more  pleasing  to  the  people 
than  the  erection  of  more  police  stations  and  common 
jails. 

Financially,  too,  they  have  paid.  After  allowing 
for  deterioration  of  property  and  the  payment  of  all 
running  expenses,  they  yield  a  net  return  of  from  4  to 
5  per  cent,  on  the  investment.  “  It  costs  about  $6,000 
a  year  to  c  run  ’  one  of  these  houses,  and  the  receipts 
are  from  $8,000  to  $9,000.  They  are,  therefore,  a 
source  of  actual  profit  to  the  city,  although,  of  course, 
designed  primarily  to  promote  good  order  and  the  wel¬ 
fare  of  the  unfortunate  classes.”* 

This  Glasgow  plan  is  earnestly  commended  to  the 
Chicago  City  Council,  and  also  to  the  philanthropists 
of  the  city,  as  one  available  remedy  for  the  ameliora¬ 
tion  of  the  hard  conditions  of  one  class  of  our  poor. 


^Glasgow;  a  Municipal  Study,  Century  Magazine,  March,  1S90. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


I87 


In  Philadelphia  a  corporation  was  formed  to  pro¬ 
vide  homes  for  working  men.  As  the  immediate  out¬ 
come  of  the  efforts  of  this  institution  50,000  families 
were  comfortably  and  enjoyably  domiciled,  and  this  was 
out  the  beginning. 

For,  other  working  men,  aroused  to  a  spirit  of 
emulation;  and  other  philanthropists  seeing  the  good 
accomplished,  set  to  work  with  a  will  to  build  more 
houses,  and  in  a  short  time  another  200,000  mechanics 
in  Philadelphia  had  well-built,  comfortable  homes  of 
their  own.  These  250,000  centers  of  joy  and  peace  are 
the  death  of  anarchy  in  the  Quaker  City,  and  so  they 
would  be  in  Chicago  if  they  existed  on  the  southwest 
chores  of  Lake  Michigan. 

In  Glasgow,  a  wealthy  man  conceived  the  idea  of 
greeting  cooking-depots  for  the  poorer  working  classes 
that  densely-crowded  city.  He  opened  them,  fitted 
them  up  in  good  style,  supplied  the  men  with  better 
rood  and  quicker  service  than  was  given  in  an  ordinary 
restaurant,  and  at  a  lower  price.  Nine  cents  would  buy 
a  fair  meal.  Then  there  were  rooms  that,  at  night,  or 
indeed  at  any  time,  could  be  used  by  the  men,  such  as 
reading-rooms,  club  rooms,  lecture  hall,  etc. 

Although  this  was  started  as  a  purely  philanthropic 
plan  it  was  not  long  before  it  began  to  pay  3  per  cent, 
on  the  investment.  The  moral  good  was  great,  and 
the  effect  upon  the  lowering  of  the  saloon  and  beer-hall 
business  in  the  vicinity  of  these  houses  was  markedly 
perceptible. 

The  following  from  a  recent  issue  of  the  Chicago 
Daily  News  so  fully  expresses  our  thoughts  on  the 
subject  of  public  baths  that  we  quote  it  entire: 

“  In  many  respects  Chicago  is  not  only  the  most 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


1 88 

wonderful  but  also  the  best  appointed  city  on  earth,  and 
many  of  our  institutions  may  be  profitably  followed  as 
models  by  older  and  wealthier  communities — New 
York,  for  example.  But  in  one  respect  Chicago  still 
fails  to  provide  for  one  of  man’s  greatest  necessities, 
Thousands  upon  thousands  of  human  beings — men, 
women  and  children — to  whom  Chicago  represents 
their  world,  are  in  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  Cole- 
ridge’s  ancient  mariner.  With  a  slight  alteration  of  a 
classic  text  they  may  well  exclaim:  Water,  water  every¬ 
where,  but  not  a  chance  to  bathe! 

“  It  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  paradoxes  of  Chicago  life 
that  this  great  city,  situated  upon  the  shore  of  a  vast 
inland  ocean,  is  without  free  public  baths.  The  ordin¬ 
ance  prohibiting  bathing  in  the  open  air  along  the  lake 
shore  or  in  other  bodies  of  water  within  the  city  limits 
is  very  proper,  but  it  becomes  an  almost  heartless 
cruelty  to  enforce  it  so  long  as  the  community  fails  to 
provide  for  the  great  army  of  people  who  cannot  in 
their  own  homes  command  the  opportunity  to  take  a 
bath.  As  a  matter  of  justice  and  sound  civic  wisdom 
the  people  of  Chicago  should  have  public  bath  houses. 

“They  should  be  located  in  those  neighborhoods, 
where  people  of  small  means  reside,  and  should  be  so 
arranged  and  conducted  as  to  be  temples  of  cleanliness. 
They  should  not  be  small,  dingy  places,  but  large  and 
airy  halls,  surrounded  if  possible  by  a  large  open  space, 
kept  in  good  order.  If  the  city  administration  is  too 
poor  to  build  and  maintain  free  bath  houses,  private 
benevolence  which  has  furnished  Chicago  with  such 
magnificent  hospitals  can  find  no  more  worthy  object. 
It  may  even  be  argued  that  a  private  management 
would  be  better  able  to  keep  free  public  bath  houses  in 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES.  1 89 

a  perfectly  wholesome  condition  than  a  management 
controlled  by  politics. 

“  At  all  events  Chicago  is  lacking  in  one  very  im¬ 
portant  particular  and  is  guilty  of  injustice  to  a  great 
number  of  people  so  long  as  it  has  no  free  public  bath 
houses.” 

And,  during  the  summer  months,  it  would  be  a 
good  thing  if  a  few  well  conducted  floating  baths  were 
permitted  on  the  Lake  Front.  With  proper  manage¬ 
ment  they  need  not  offend  the  good  taste  of  those 
desirous  of  enjoying  the  view,  and  would  certainly 
be  a  great  boon  to  many  classes  of  our  hard  working 
citizens. 

Both  the  public  and  floating  baths  have  been  con¬ 
ducted  under  city  and  town  authority  for  many  years  in 
England  and  other  European  countries.  They  are  not 
expected  to  be  money  making  schemes,  but  are  for  the 
promotion  of  cleanliness  and  the  public  health,  and  are 
therefore,  legitimate  enterprises  for  our  City  Council 
to  heartily  and  thoroughly  engage  in. 

Is  it  not  possible  for  the  city  officials  to  set  on  foot 
some  public  works  and  city  improvements  which  shall 
be  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  unemployed  classes 
something  to  do?  This  plan  was  successfully  carried 
out  by  Count  Rumford,  in  Bavaria,  and  “  How  he 
banished  beggary  from  Bavaria  ”  might  be  a  good 
pamphlet  to  commend  to  the  Mayor  and  other  servants 
of  the  people.  In  such  work  married  men  and  those 
who  have  families  dependent  upon  them  resident  in 
Chicago  should  be  given  the  preference,  then  single 
men  who  are  settled  here,  and  finally  the  “  stranger 
within  our  gates.” 

Ingersoll  has  truthfully  said  “  Ignorance,  filth  and 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


i  go 

poverty  are  the  missionaries  of  crime.”  All  that  can 
be  done  to  slay  these  missionaries  should  be  done. 
There  is  no  need  for  a  solitary  man,  woman  or  child  in 
Chicago  to  be  long  ignorant — the  law  can  compel  in  a 
variety  of  ways  where  the  individual  refuses  to  learn. 
Municipal  ordinance  can  do  much  to  do  away  with 
filth,  and  true-hearted  Christian  women  can  go  and 
patiently  teach  those  who  are  personally  filthy  how  to 
be  clean.  If  a  band  of  Chicago  women,  with  loving 
hearts  and  willing  hands,  would  go  into  the  homes  of 
the  poor  and  teach  these  neglected  ones  how  to  keep 
home  neat  and  clean,  much  would  be  accomplished. 
The  law  should  insist  that  in  every  dwelling  place  there 
are  conveniences  for  cleanliness,  sufficiency  of  ventila¬ 
tion  and  space  enough  for  decency.  And  there  should 
be  some  adequate  registration  of  rents  to  prevent  extor¬ 
tion  as  it  is  practiced  in  some  quarters. 

Then  it  might  be  well  to  pray  that  another  fire 
would  come  and  sweep  away  all  the  horrible  hovels 
where  the  poor  and  vicious  are  now  crowded  together, 
if  we  could  only  be  assured  that  better  places  would 
subsequently  be  provided  for  them. 

The  personal  work  referred  to  is  the  only  way  the 
poor  can  ever  be  uplifted.  General  Booth’s  plan  will 
have  no  real  permanent  power  except  through  loving, 
personal  uplifting  contact.  The  Cf  Toynbee  Hall  ” 
scheme  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  fails  in  important 
particulars  the  same  as  some  church  missions  fail, 
because  they  substitute  something  else  for  this  practical 
plan  of  Christ’s. 

“  But,”  said  one  gentleman,  when  this  idea  was 
given  expression  to  by  one  of  our  commissioners,  “  Do 
you  mean  to  say  that  Mr. -  and  Mrs.  -  should 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


IQI 

go  down  amongst  these  people  and  live  with  them  in 
order  to  uplift  them  ?  ” 

“No!  and  Yes!  ”  is  our  answer  to  these  questions. 

“No!”  when  you  mean  living  with  them;  “Yes!” 
when  you  mean  going  amongst  them.  Each  and  every 
man  in  good  position  with  the  true  reformer  heart  must 
do  some  personal  work  amongst  the  needy.  He  cannot 
delegate  it  to  others .  He  may  not  spend  above  half  an 
hour  a  day,  but  that  half  hour  is  an  absolute  necessity 
for  the  preservation  and  cultivation  of  that  tender  sym¬ 
pathy  and  true  affection  within  his  own  heart,  and  its 
response  in  the  hearts  of  others,  which  alone  makes  “the 
brotherhood  of  man  ”  practically  possible.  Sending 
checks  to  “institutions”  will  never  accomplish  much. 
It  will  do  good  so  far ,  but  it  is  only  a  step  in  the  right 
direction,  and,  unless  followed  up  by  the  personal  love 
and  sympathy  of  the  donor,  becomes  a  stumbling-block 
both  to  himself  and  the  institution,  instead  of  a  real,  per¬ 
manent  help. 

If  this  personal  work  were  done,  bargain  counters 
would  soon  become  a  relic  of  a  barbarous  past. 

If  you  personally  come  in  sympathetic  touch  with 
a  poor  sewing  woman,  and  find  her  barely  subsisting 
in  wretched  poverty  as  the  result  of  the  competition 
these  counters  engender,  you  will  never  again  be  con¬ 
tent  to  buy  cheaply  that  which  she  has  to  starve  to 
make.  You  will  want  to  pay,  and  demand  to  pay  a 
reasonable  price  for  your  goods. 

As  far  as  possible  we  have  quit  buying  from  the 
stores  such  things  as  we  can  have  made.  We  go  to  the 
workers  themselves  and  pay  them  a  reasonable  price — 
which  in  most  cases  is  double  what  they  have  been 
receiving. 


192 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


We  personally  “  boycott  ”  every  institution  which 
does  not  pay  living  wages.  There  are  stores  in  this 
city  thronged  by  great  crowds,  which  are  as  great 
enemies  to  the  welfare  of  the  poor  as  are  the  saloons. 
Penal  enactments  should  make  it  an  impossibility  for 
the  proprietors  of  such  places  to  offer  wages  to  women 
which  will  not  respectably  board  and  clothe  them. 

The  person  truly  anxious  for  reform  in  these 
regards  will  determinately  hunt  out  places  to  trade 
where  the  golden  rule  is  the  business  motto,  and  not 
where  the  greatest  bargains  are  to  be  had.  Many  a 
poor  man  with  a  family  is  struggling  hard  to  keep  the 
wolf  from  his  door  because  he  cannot  honestly  com¬ 
pete  with  his  more  wealthy  and  less  scrupulous  neigh¬ 
bor.  To  such  as  these  give  your  trade,  and  demand  of 
them  that  they  charge  you  living  prices  for  all  they 
supply  you  with.  Such  trust  begets  response  in  higher 
ideals  and  warmer  sympathies,  and  labor  troubles 
would  soon  end  if  trust  and  sympathy  reigned  supreme 
instead  of  lust  for  gold. 

You,  reader,  can  begin  this  work,  perhaps  only 
in  a  small  way,  but  enough  to  sow  the  seed — to  in¬ 
sert  the  leaven. 

The  Christian  Church  is  as  remiss  in  this  duty 
as  any  other  section  of  society,  and  it  utterly  fails  in 
obedience  to  the  Divine  mandate,  when  it  neglects 
it,  and  does  not  insist  upon  its  observance  in  others. 

A  great  encouragement  to  thrift  as  evidenced  in 
England  and  elsewhere  is  the  establishment  of  savings 
banks  for  the  poor.  The  government  took  this  matter 
in  hand,  and  people  were  allowed  to  stick  postage 
stamps  upon  a  sheet  of  paper  and  in  this  way  make 
small  deposits  in  their  post  offices.  People  are  thus 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


193 


helped  to  be  more  thrifty  and  saving,  and  poverty  is 
often  staved  off  at  a  critical  time,  which  otherwise 
might  mean  disaster  and  ruin. 

The  education  of  the  youth  of  both  sexes  in  Indus¬ 
trial  Schools  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted  upon.  One 
of  our  own  citizens,  Mr.  Jacobsen,  has  written  a  clear 
and  incisive  treatise  on  this  subject  and  we  commend 
his  work  to  our  readers.  Every  boy  and  every  girl 
should  have  some  manual  training,  so  that  life  has  a 
practical  physical-labor  side  as  well  as  a  merely  mental 
side.  A  movement  is  now  being  inaugurated  to  pro¬ 
vide  these  manual  schools  for  the  poorer  classes  who 
do  not  wish  the  higher  technical  training.  The  purpose 
is  to  fit  boys  to  be  good  artisans — bricklayers,  founders, 
moulders,  fitters,  wagon-makers  and  the  like,  and  it 
seems  to  us  that  this  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction. 

Why  is  it  that  rich  men  do  not  become  their  own 
almoners?  There  are  many  shrewd,  keen  business  men 
such  as  A.  T.  Stewart  and  James  Lick,  or  lawyers  like 
S.  J.  Tilden,  all  of  whom,  one  would  think,  could  have 
arranged  their  wills  so  that  there  could  not  possibly 
have  been  any  dispute  over  them,  and  yet,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  the  dollars  they  wished  to  be  used  for 
philanthropic  objects  are  being,  or  have  been  squan¬ 
dered  in  lawyers’  and  court  fees.  It  is  a  good  thing, 
rich  men,  to  leave  your  money  for  helpful  work,  when 
you  die,  but  it  is  a  very  much  better  thing  to  personally 
superintend  its  distribution.  Only  when  this  latter 
course  is  pursued,  will  it  be  properly  done,  and  if  it 
were  done  in  this  city  beginning  from  to-day,  it  would 
not  be  ten  years  before  Chicago  would  be  renowned  as 
the  most  philanthropic  city  of  the  earth.  And  such  it 
ought  to  be. 


194 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


The  following  article  from  the  pen  of  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,  which  appeared  in  Scribner' s  Maga¬ 
zine ,  is  a  presentation  of  the  subject  of  poverty  and  the 
poor  which  is  worthy  of  consideration: 

“  There  is  true  poverty,  which  no  one  sees;  a  false 
and  merely  mimetic  poverty,  which  usurps  its  place  and 
dress,  and  lives,  and  above  all  drinks,  on  the  fruits  of 
the  usurpation.  The  true  poverty  does  not  go  into  the 
streets;  the  banker  may  rest  assured  he  has  never  put 
a  penny  in  its  hand.  The  self-respecting  poor  beg 

from  each  other;  never  from  the  rich . Get 

the  tale  of  any  honest  tramp,  you  will  find  it  was  al¬ 
ways  the  poor  who  helped  him;  get  the  truth  from  any 
workman  who  has  met  misfortunes,  it  was  always  next 
door  that  he  would  go  for  help,  or  only  with  such  ex¬ 
ceptions  as  are  said  to  prove  a  rule . 

“We  should  wipe  two  words  from  our  vocabulary 
— gratitude  and  charity.  In  real  life,  help  is  given  out 
of  friendship,  or  it  is  not  valued;  it  is  received  from  the 
hand  of  friendship,  or  it  is  resented.  We  are  all  too 
proud  to  take  a  naked  gift;  we  must  seem  to  pay  for  it, 
if  in  nothing  else  than  with  the  delights  of  our  society. 
Here,  then,  is  the  pitiful  fix  of  the  rich  man;  here  is 
that  needle’s  eye  in  which  he  stuck  already  in  the  days 
of  Christ,  and  still  sticks  to-day,  firmer,  if  possible,  than 
ever:  that  he  has  the  money  and  lacks  the  love  which 
should  make  his  money  acceptable.  Here  and  now, 
just  as  of  old  in  Palestine,  he  has  the  rich  to  dinner;  it 
is  with  the  rich  that  he  takes  his  pleasure;  and  when 
his  turn  comes  to  be  charitable,  he  looks  in  vain  for  a 
recipient.  His  friends  are  not  poor,  they  do  not  want; 
the  poor  are  not  his  friends,  they  will  not  take.  To 
whom  is  he  to  give?  Where  to  find — note  this  phrase 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


195 


— the  Deserving  Poor?  Charity  is  (what  they  call) 
centralized;  offices  are  hired;  societies  founded,  with 
secretaries  paid  or  unpaid;  the  hunt  of  the  Deserving 
Poor  goes  merrily  forward.  I  think  it  will  take  more 
than  a  merely  human  secretary  to  disinter  that  char¬ 
acter.  What  !  a  class  that  is  to  be  in  want  from  no 
fault  of  its  own,  and  yet  greedily  eager  to  receive  from 
strangers  ;  and  to  be  quite  respectable,  and  at  the  same 
time  quite  devoid  of  self-respect;  and  play  the  most  del¬ 
icate  part  of  friendship,  and  yet  never  be  seen;  and  wear 
the  form  of  man,  and  yet  fly  in  the  face  of  all  the  laws 
of  human  nature; — and  all  this,  in  the  hope  of  getting 
a  belly-good  burgess  through  a  needle’s  eye!  O,  let 
him  stick  by  all  means;  and  let  his  polity  tumble  in  the 
dust;  and  let  his  epitaph  and  all  his  literature  (of  which 
my  own  works  begin  to  form  no  inconsiderable  part) 
be  abolished  even  from  the  history  of  man!  For  a 
fool  of  this  monstrosity  of  dullness,  there  can  be  no  sal¬ 
vation ;  and  the  fool  who  looked  for  the  elixir  of  life 
was  an  angel  of  reason  to  the  fool  who  looks  for  the 
Deserving  Poor  !  .  .  . 

“And  yet  there  is  one  course  which  the  unfortunate 
gentleman  may  take.  He  may  subscribe  to  pay  the 
taxes.  There  were  the  true  charity,  impartial  and  im¬ 
personal,  cumbering  none  with  obligation,  helping  all. 
There  were  a  destination  for  loveless  gifts;  there  were 
the  way  to  reach  the  pockets  of  the  Deserving  Poor, 
and  yet  save  the  time  of  secretaries!  But,  alas!  there  is 
no  color  of  romance  in  such  a  course;  and  people  no¬ 
where  demand  the  picturesque  so  much  as  in  their 
virtues.” 


iq6 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


THE  SALOON. 

The  keynote  to  our  whole  position  on  this  question 
is  u  the  saloon  must  go!  ”  We  would  no  more  tolerate 
the  saloon  than  murder.  Our  voice  and  pen  are  forever 
pledged  to  unceasing  warfare  upon  this  hideous  evil. 
Death  and  burial  to  it  are  the  only  things  that  will  con¬ 
tent  us. 

In  Chicago  high  license  has  been  tried,  and  with 

what  result?  It  has  raised  the  licensed  saloon  in  num- 

# 

bers  to  5,600.  Liquor  purchased  in  a  high-licensed 
saloon  will  send  a  man  to  the  devil  as  quickly  as  if  pur¬ 
chased  in  one  Without  any  license;  and  unfortunately 
the  u  high  license  ”  places  a  false  and  dangerous  halo 
of  respectability  about  the  saloon  that  it  never  ought  to 
possess. 

There  are  two  ways  of  fighting  the  saloon  evil. 
The  one  is  by  direct  aggressive  work  against  it,  legal¬ 
izing  it  out  of  existence,  and  the  other  is  by  counter¬ 
acting  its  influence. 

We  would  suggest  the  enforcement  of  all  the 
present  laws  against  the  saloon.  If  Mayor  Washburne 
wants  a  German  Sunday  let  him  know  that  it  is  against 
the  wish  of  the  better  sentiment  of  the  people  of  Chi¬ 
cago.  Surely  there  are  enough  Americans  in  this  city 
to  shoulder  the  responsibility  of  enforcing  the  law.  Let 
these  men  get  together,  and  we  will  find  them  a  man 
who  will  do  it  or  die  in  the  attempt,  and  another  who 
is  ready  to  take  the  place  of  the  first  should  he  become 
a  martyr  to  the  cause. 

Punish  every  saloon  man  who  sells  liquor  to 
minors,  and  amend  the  law  so  as  to  take  away  his 
license  without  a  possibility  of  renewal  for  this  offense. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


1 97 

Elect  men  to  the  bench  who  have  the  moral 
stamina  enough  to  enforce  the  will  of  the  people  as 
expressed  in  their  laws.  ' 

Xo  saloon  should  be  quartered  upon  people  in  a 
neighborhood  where  the  majority  do  not  want  it. 

The  necessity  for  this  will  be  apparent  to  any  one 
who  will  read  the  account  in  the  Chicago  Herald  Mon- 
day,  May  18,  1S91,  of  the  opening  of  a  saloon  on  Ver¬ 
non  Avenue  and  Thirty-fifth  Street,  where  the  people 
of  the  whole  neighborhood  had  protested  against  it. 
We  briefly  quote:  “  Women  who  passed  by  shrank 
with  horror  as  the  foul  language  penetrated  the  green 
blinds  of  the  saloon  and  filled  the  air,  and  mothers  were 
compelled  to  cross  the  street  to  remove  their  children 
from  the  contamination  of  the  oath-filled  air . . 

u  It  seemed  as  if  the  place  was  filled  with  demons 
who  came  there  to  disturb  the  peace  of  the  Sabbath. 
Men  who  lived  in  the  handsome  residences  within 
thirty  feet  of  the  flashy  saloon  gave  the  place  a  wide 
berth  when  they  were  compelled  to  pass  south  to 

Thirty-fifth  street . They  sneered  and 

jeered  at  the  people  who  had  protested  against  the 
opening  of  the  saloon.  The  glaring  white  and  yellow 
liquor  shop  seemed  like  a  foul  spot  on  a  fair  picture. 
Trees  on  which  the  bright  green  leaves  were  bursting 
forth  into  the  open  lined,  the  avenue,  and  fair  green 
lawns  dotted  with  flowers  made  the  district  one  of 
sylvan  picturesqueness.  But  the  garish  saloon,  with 
its  hideous  crowd  of  drunken  loafers,  cast  a  glow  of 
shame  over  the  whole  scene.” 

We  would  suggest  the  enactment  of  a  law  which 
should  imprison  every  man  found  drunk,  and  at  once 
send  the  officers  to  seek  to  find  out  from  where  he 


198 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


obtained  the  drink.  Then  transfer  the  punishment  to 
the  men  who  supplied  the  drunkard  with  the  means  of 
his  debasement,  and  make  the  penalty  of  the  saloon¬ 
keeper  imprisonment  without  the  option  of  a  fine. 

Every  man  found  drunk  and  convicted  five  suc¬ 
cessive  times  should  lose  his  rights  of  citizenship  until  a 
certain  period  has  passed,  and  the  saloon-keeper  who 
makes  him  drunk  for  double  that  period. 

Refuse  to  grant  to  any  man  or  body  of  men  iir 
their  corporate  capacity  more  than  one  license. 

Immediately  revoke  the  license  of  any  saloon 
where  known  prostitutes  are  allowed  to  take  their  prey, 
and  thus  break  up  the  detestable  u  cubby  hole  ”  system. 

Enforce  the  law,  or  if  there  be  no  law,  enact  one 
for  the  suppression  of  the  lewd  exhibitions  on  the  walls 
of  saloons. 

There  should  be  a  law  passed  prohibiting  any 
saloon-keeper,  theater-manager  or  any  other  person 
from  employing  girls  or  women  to  serve  beer  and  any 
other  alcoholic  beverage  in  public  places.  In  many 
saloons  and  theaters  these  girls  are  simply  prostitutes, 
and  in  other  places  girls  are  thus  placed  where,  more 
than  anywhere  else,  they  are  liable  to  temptation. 

For  counteracting  influences  organize  Coffee 
Houses  where  men  may  go  and  enjoy  themselves  with¬ 
out  the  alcoholic  liquors.  Make  them  more  attractive 
in  appearance  than  the  saloon.  Open  up  hundreds  of 
them  in  every  quarter  of  the  city  where  public  works 
are  centered. 

Establish  more  water  fountains  in  every  part  of 
the  city.  The  Humane  Society  and  several  public- 
spirited  citizens  have  done  something  in  this  direction. 
This  is  a  good  investment  for  our  wealthy  men. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


1 99 


It  is  a  great  shame  that  in  Chicago  nearly  every 
watering  trough  for  horses  is  owned  by  a  saloon,  thus 
attracting  men  to  drink,  in  return  for  the  convenience 
offered  for  the  accommodation  of  the  horse.  These 
watering  troughs  should  be  the  care  of  the  city. 

It  is  likewise  a  gross  negligence  of  public  duty 
that  there  are  not  necessary  conveniences  for  men  ex¬ 
cept  in  the  saloons  and  hotels.  Public  buildings  do  not 
offer  accommodations  for  the  general  public.  Many  a 
man  is  tempted  to  drink  because  he  must  of  necessity 
enter  these  places.  Thousands  of  Europeans  are  ex¬ 
pected  to  be  here  at  the  World’s  Fair.  They  will  be 
astonished  at  this  gross  neglect,  and  will  comment  most 
unfavorably  upon  the  mock  modesty  that  dare6  not  to 
make  public  provision  for  such  necessities.  The  large 
cities  of  Europe  can  give  us  many  lessons  in  this 
regard. 

The  education  of  the  young  will  do  much  to  break 
the  power  of  the  saloon,  but  not  only  should  this  in¬ 
clude  the  question  of  stimulants  and  narcotics,  but  like¬ 
wise  practical  methods  of  dieting.  Many  a  man  drinks 
because  he  is  not  provided  with  proper  food,  and  there 
is  a  much  closer  connection  between  our  food  and  our 
drink  habits  than  we  are  willing  to  believe.  Pour  in 
the  light  of  knowledge  all  around  on  this  question,  and 
keep  up  legal  enactments,  counteracting  influences,  edu¬ 
cation  and  moral  suasion  until  the  whole  accursed  saloon 
system  is  forever  suppressed. 

THEATERS,' ETC. 

It  is  natural  that  human  beings  should  seek  for 
amusement  and  entertainment.  If  we  deprecate  the 
existence  of  the  low  theater  and  concert  hall  and 


200 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


museum,  we  must  see  that  something  else  better  take 
their  places. 

We  would  suggest  the  patronage  of  such  places 
only  as  present  good,  clean,  instructive  and  entertaining 
amusement.  Christian  men  and  women  are  often  in¬ 
consistent,  but  never  more  so  than  when  attending  so- 
called  respectable  theaters,  where  often  indecent  and 
immoral  plays  are  presented.  Let  them  cleanse  their 
own  hearts  and  resolutely  keep  away  from  these  places, 
if  they  wish  to  make  reformation  amongst  the  poorer 
classes.  If  the  church  people  were  to  refuse  to  attend 
theaters  where  plays  of  the  sensational  character  are 
presented,  the  audiences  would  be  very  small  and  the 
managers  would  be  compelled  to  provide  cleaner  and 
purer  entertainments. 

People  will  have  recreation  and  amusement.  Why 
not  establish  in  every  quarter  of  the  city  a  number  of 
large  public  halls,  dotted  here  and  there— more  than 
there  are  theaters — where,  for  a  very  small  fee,  people 
may  attend  good  concerts,  entertainments,  lectures,  ex¬ 
hibitions  and  the  like.  The  Apollo  Musical  Club  and 
Mr.  W.  L.  Tomlins  have  done  grand  work  in  inaugurat¬ 
ing  the  wage-workers’  concerts  in  the  Auditorium,  but 
this  is  only  one  step  in  the  right  direction.  What 
Chicago  needs  is  the  establishment  by  true  philan¬ 
thropists  of  these  halls  right  where  the  working  classes 
live.  Wherever  the  plan  has  been  tried  under  broad, 
sensible  management,  it  has  succeeded,  and  there  is  no 
reason 'why  it  should  not  be  successful  here.  Look  at 
the  immense  crowds  that  throng  the  music  halls  where 
beer,  &c.,  are  sold.  Provide  the  music  without  the 
beer — give  the  entertainment  without  the  temptation — 
and  the  other  places  at  once  begin  to  lose  their  power. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


201 


Men  and  women  of  every  shade  of  opinion  and  belief 
can  contribute  heartily  towards  the  support  such  a 
work,  and  it  will  allow  those  people — of  whom  there 
are  a  large  number — who  are  unfavorable  to  the  church 
organizations,  to  show  their  liberality  in  a  public 
spirited  enterprise. 

Singing  classes  might  be  organized  all  over  the 
city,  especially  in  the  thickly  populated  residence  dis¬ 
tricts,  and  a  corps  of  able  teachers  secured  to  give  in¬ 
struction,  the  whole  to  be  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  William  L.  Tomlins,  whose  name  is  a  synonym 
of  success.  This  work  is  reformatory,  instructive  and 
elevating  in  character,  but  to  those  who  doubt  it  let 
them  attend  some  of  the  classes  during  their  hours  of 
instruction  and  see  what  a  wonderful  educator  is  song 
and  what  joy  it  gives  to  the  parents  of  the  young. 

Of  course  such  plans  cost  money,  but  which  is  the 
better:  to  do  this  and  expend  in  prevention,  or  later  on 
to  tax  the  people  and  spend  the  money  in  sending  the 
depraved  and  ruined  to  prisons  and  reformatories? 
Philanthropy  in  every  way  pays,  and  when  it  is  com¬ 
bined  with  the  loving  spirit  it  is  more  potent  and 
powerful  than  any  other  force.  The  refining  influence 
of  good  music  works  a  great  improvement  in  the 
manners  of  children  which  teachers  and  all  who  are 
familiar  with  its  study  remark  with  astonishment.  If 
this  plan  could  be  enlarged  a  thousand  fold,  how  great 
a  help  it  would  be  towards  the  dawning  of  a  brighter 
and  better  day  for  these  poor  children  of  Chicago. 

Our  wealthy  men  are  often  skeptical  regarding  the 
plans  proposed  to  them  for  the  disposition  of  their 
money  to  be  expended  for  the  public  good.  The 
above  suggestion,  if  intelligently  and  generously  sup- 


202 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


ported  and  personally  supervised  by  the  donors,  com¬ 
bined  with  first-class  teachers,  would  have  an  influence 
for  good  which  would  counteract  many  evils  in  the 
lives  and  hearts  of  the  young. 

The  following  plan  is  in  operation  by  The  Ab¬ 
stainers’  Union  of  Glasgow,  Scotland :  they  have  several 
large  halls  and  the  artists  engaged  are  first-class.  In 
these  entertainments  everything  is  done  for  the  comfort 
of  the  audience,  and  for  a  few  cents  concerts,  etc.,  are 
given — often  tea,  coffee,  and  cake  are  served — right 
where  the  masses  live.  These  people  do  not  wish 
;harity,  but  are  willing  to  pay  a  few  cents — or  at  least 
as  much  as  they  do  to  enter  the  low  variety  shows  and 
concert  halls — for  good  amusement.  As  an  investment 
the  plan  has  been  successful,  and  a  balance  to  the  credit 
of  the  Union  is  declared  every  year.  It  requires  but 
an  organization  conducted  on  business  principles  to 
carry  it  out  successfully  in  Chicago. 

It  takes  too  long  and  costs  too  much  for  many  of 
the  poor  laboring  men  to  get  to  the  Auditorium.  The 
cost  of  car  fare  would  be  sufficient  to  pay  for  an 
entertainment  in  the  very  heart  of  the  district  in  which 
the  workers  live.  There  are  as  philanthropic  and  public 
spirited  citizens  in  Chicago  as  there  are  to  be  found  in 
any  of  our  large  cities,  and  we  would  that  they  realized 
the  splendid  opportunity  here  presented. 

Our  churches  which  possess  organs  could  open 
their  doors  and  give  free  organ  concerts  to  the  poor,  or 
at  least  at  a  price  less  than  50c.,  75c.,  and  $1.00.  The 
organists  are  here,  the  poor  are  here,  the  only  thing 
lacking  is  the  Christ-like  spirit  to  give  our  good  things 
to  those  who  do  not  possess  them. 

Chicago’s  Public  Library  is  a  good  one  generally 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES, 


203 


speaking,  but  its  usefulness  could  be  increased  tenfold, 
nay  a  thousand  fold,  at  a  trifling  cost.  Every  student 
of  sociology  knows  the  fearful  evils  resulting  from  a 
devouring  on  the  part  of  the  young  and  impressible  of 
books  of  a  wrongly  sensational,  sexually-exciting  and 
morbidly-stimulating  character.  Young  minds  need 
active  guidance  in  the  choice  of  books.  This  can  be 
well  done,  if  in  the  new  building  to  be  erected,  a  large 
u  library  lecture  hall”  be  arranged  for,  in  which,  every 
night  in  the  year,  lectures  on  the  many  and  varied 
topics  in  which  the  people  are  interested,  might  be 
given,  by  live,  active,  aggressive  thinkers,  and  books 
for  study  of  these  special  subjects  be  indicated  on  a 
blackboard,  or  on  printed  slips,  for  the  guidance  of  the 
reader.  The  city  should  provide  the  highest  and  best 
mental  pabulum  for  its  inhabitants,  and  this  lecture  plan 
if  tried,  would  unquestionably  be  a  continuous  success, 
if  the  right  kind  of  men  and  women  were  in  possession 
of  the  rostrum. 

The  churches,  many  of  them,  have  missions  in  vari¬ 
ous  parts  of  the  city.  Let  them  build  more  churches 
right  where  the  people  live,  hold  regular  services, 
prayer  meetings,  Sabbath  schools,  etc.,  just  as  they  do 
on  the  avenues.  Let  the  people  take  hold  of  the  work 
of  the  church,  they  will  contribute  towards  its  support, 
take  a  pride  in  working  for  their  own  church,  and  feel 
more  at  home  there,  where  the  folks  are  not  too  rich 
to  cause  caste  distinctions,  and  where  the  poor  will  not 
feel  uncomfortable  if  their  clothes  are  shabby.  The 
poor  will  give  of  the  little  they  have  with  more  gene¬ 
rosity  than  the  majority  of  the  well-to-do.  There  are 
amongst  the  workingmen  of  Chicago  many  intelligent 
- — not  to  say  well-educated — men.  They  are  qualified 


204 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


to  assist  and  help  in  church  work  amongst  their  own 
class,  and  here  is  an  opportunity  which  they  could 
never  have  in  our  large  and  fashionable  churches. 

If  all  signs  do  not  fail,  there  is  a  strong  current 
flowing  already  in  the  direction  of  more  popular  reli¬ 
gious  service,  where  there  will  be  less  preaching  and 
more  music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental.  Several  of 
the  larger  churches  have  found  it  necessary,  in  order 
to  secure  the  same  large  audience  at  night  that  they 
have  in  the  morning,  to  engage  competent  musicians, 
and  the  cornet,  flute,  harp,  violin  and  organ  unite  their 
strains  in  harmony  as  important  features  of  the  service. 

The  sermon  is  shortened  to  about  fifteen  minutes, 
and  is  generally  a  clear-cut,  clean,  pithy,  practical  talk, 
which  bears  upon  the  everyday  life  and  duties  of  the 
hearers.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  and  is  a  step  in  the 
right  direction. 

If  this  is  necessary  in  order  to  keep  the  congrega¬ 
tions  of  those  ministers  who  have  large  brain  power, 
who  are  eloquent  and  impassioned  orators,  and  who  give 
rich  intellectual  feasts,  what  must  be  done  in  those 
churches  where  the  pastors  ate  men  of  only  mediocre 
ability,  and  who  minister  to  the  poor  and  lonely? 

Why  do  not  some  of  the  great  preachers  of  our 
city,  now  and  again,  when  they  have  no  evening  service 
in  their  own  churches,  give  of  their  talent  to  the  people 
in  the  neglected  localities,  dozens  of  which  may  be 
found  in  our  city.  This  would  be  far  more  charitable 
than  seeking  to  hold  services,  with  great  eclat,  in  the 
large  public  halls,  which,  however  much  good  they 
accomplish,  utterly  and  completely  fail  to  reach  the 
great  mass  of  degraded,  wretched  and  criminal,  who 
need  such  help  more  than  any  other  class. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


205 


The  masses  can  be  reached  by  going  to  them,  just 
as  the  greatest  of  all  Teachers  did.  “  The  common 
people  heard  Him  gladly.” 

That  teaching  and  preaching  will  be  spiritually 
uplifting  that  reaches  the  hearts  of  the  “  common  peo¬ 
ple;”  but  they  can  never  be  reached  by  standing  aloof 
from  them. 

In  Chicago  there  is  no  public  museum  of  antiqui¬ 
ties,  except  a  homeless  vagrant  collection,  which  be¬ 
longs  to  nobody  and  is  nobody’s  particular  care. 

There  are  no  museums  of  ethnology  or  botany  or 
zoology  or  mineralogy  or  conchology  or  anything  of 
the  kind.  We  boast  of  our  advanced  position,  and  yet 
there  are  small  towns  in  New  England  where  their 
youth  have  far  greater  advantages  in  this  regard  than 
we — in  our  great  and  wonderful  city — can  offer. 

As  for  some  of  the  vile  dens  called  theaters,  we 
have  fully  reported,  we  would  see  them  closed  once 
and  forever  as  public  nuisances. 

IMMORAL  DIVES. 

We  have  scarcely  patience  to  refer  to  these  hell 
holes.  A  dozen  true-hearted  brave  Christian  men 
could  shut  them  up  in  a  week. 

Policemen  should  be  held  responsible  for  failure  to 
report  their  existence  on  their  beats,  and  discharge  be 
the  penalty. 

As  for  the  goods,  etc.,  sold  in  them  they  should 
be  confiscated  and  burned,  and  the  keepers  imprisoned, 
without  the  option  of  a  fine. 

OBSCENE  BOOKS,  ETC. 

We  need  an  Anthony  Comstock  in  Chicago  to 


206 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


cause  the  arrest  of  all  men  and  women  found  engaged 
in  this  work. 

M 

Since  the  main  body  of  the  book  was  written  we 
have  found  a  man  on  the  corner  of  two  of  our  prin¬ 
cipal  streets  with  a  large  number  of  the  books  des¬ 
cribed  spread  out  on  the  sidewalk,  offering  them  for 
sale,  and  no  attempt  being  made  to  stop  him. 

We  would  have  arrested  and  punished  every  the¬ 
atrical  manager,  every  bill-poster,  every  printer,  pub¬ 
lisher,  manufacturer  or  salesman,  and  every  exhibitor, 
and  even  every  possessor  of  lewd  books,  pictures  or  ad¬ 
vertisements. 

To  parents  we  would  commend  the  words  of  Anna 
Garlin  Spencer: 

•  £ 

“  There  are  two  inflexible  rules  which  every  pa¬ 
rent  should  obey  and  make  the  child  obey,  in  respect  to 
all  reading  outside  of  that  required  and  suggested  by  a 
competent  and  trusted  teacher  in  connection  with  school 
work.  The  first  rule  is,  get  the  best  and  widest  knowl¬ 
edge  possible  to  you  in  respect  to  ?nentally  and  morally 
desirable  books  and  fafiers  for  your  children  to  read . 
The  second  rule  is,  allow  no  child  to  read  anything 
which  you  have  not  selected yourself  under  standingly 

THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 

“  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  casta  stone  at 
her.”  Jesus  of  Nazareth. — John  viii. 

“And  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee  :  go,  and 
sin  no  more.” 

“  The  real  man  is  the  woman  he  carries  in  his  heart.  Ii  she  be 
an  angel  of  a  woman,  she  will  be  apt  to  make  an  angel  of  a  man;  but 
if  she  be  a  devil  of  a  woman,  look  out  for  him.” 

— Rev.  Dr.  Williams ,  of  Baltimore. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


207 


“  No  woman”  (and  we  would  add — no  man)  “  can  sink  so  low 
into  the  dark  bog  and  quagmire  of  vice  as  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  hand  of  our  Lord, — that  hand  that  was  nailed  to  the  cruel  cross 
of  Calvary.” 

— Rev.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus,  D.D. 


“  Then  gently  scan  your  brother  man, 
Still  gentler  sister  woman; 

Though  they  may  gang  a  kennin  wrang, 
To  step  aside  is  human  : 

One  point  must  still  be  greatly  dark, 
The  moving  why  they  do  it ! 

And  just  as  lamely  can  ye  mark 
How  far,  perhaps,  they  rue  it. 


% 


“Who  made  the  heart,  ’tis  He  alone 
Decidedly  can  try  us. 

He  knows  each  chord — its  various  tone, 
Each  spring — its  various  bias  : 

Then  at  the  balance  let’s  be  mute, 

We  never  can  adjust  it ; 

What’s  done  we  partly  may  compute, 
But  know  not  what’s  resisted  !” 


— Burns. 


For  the  Social  Evil,  as  well  as  the  Saloon  Evil, 
there  are  two  forms  of  remedies:  one,  suppressive,  the 
other,  preventive. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  same  law  for  men  as 
women.  Now  let  us  apply  this  in  a  way  not  yet 
spoken  of. 

If  a  man  insultingly  accosts  a  woman  on  the  public 
streets  he  is  in  danger  of  arrest  and  imprisonment. 
That  is  good.  Let  us  have  the  same  standard  for  men 
and  women,  and  the  woman  who  insultingly  accosts  a 
man  on  the  public  streets  should  likewise  be  subject  to 
arrest  and  imprisonment.  Many  a  young  man  in  Chi¬ 
cago  is  dragged  into  moral  ruin  this  way,  who  might 


208 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


otherwise  escape.  Let  the  law  operate  equally  upon 
both  sexes. 

We  would  suggest  the  closing  up  of  every  house 
of  prostitution.  The  toleration  of  the  “house  of  death” 
educates  the  young  in  the  belief  that  it  is  necessary. 

We  would  suggest  the  enactment  of  laws  visiting 
severe  punishment  upon  seducers,  whether  male  or  fe¬ 
male. 

We  would  abolish  the  age  of  consent  entirely,  but 
enact  laws  that  should  make  it  impossible  for  a  woman 
under  any  circumstances  to  give  consent  to  the  viola¬ 
tion  of  her  chastity,  and  render  punishment  to  the 
“  stronger  vessel,”  who  cajoled  or  persuaded  or  forced 
the  “  weaker  ”  into  submission. 

We  would  disfranchise  married  men  who  were 
known  to  be  habitually  unchaste,  whether  they  were 
millionaires,  statesmen  or  paupers.  A  man  who  cannot 
control  his  own  sexual  appetite,  when  he  has  his  own 
wife,  is  not  fit  to  be  entrusted  with  the  powers  of  the 
ballot-box. 

For  the  lecherous  wretches  who  tamper  with 
young  girls  (see  page  109  et  seq,')  we  would  suggest 
one  of  two  things — life  imprisonment,  or  incarceration 
in  a  lunatic  asylum.  Until  penitent  and  duly  reformed, 
no  mercv  should  be  shown  to  such  vile  polluters  of  our 
young. 

The  laws  already  on  the  statute  book  ought  to  be 
sufficient  to  prevent  abortion,  if  properly  enforced. 

MASSAGE  PARLORS. 

Evil  massage  parlors  should  come  under  the  same 
laws  as  houses  of  prostitution,  and  thus  totally  abol¬ 
ished. 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


209 


PROCURESSES  AND  ABDUCTORS. 

The  laws  bearing  upon  procuring  and  abducting 
are  all  sadly  defective,  and  should  be  so  amended  as  to 
make  it  exc°edingly  difficult  for  the  criminal  to  escape. 
One  has  but  to  read  the  reports  of  the  Women’s  Pro¬ 
tective  Agency  to  see  how  defective  the  laws  are  in  this 
regard. 

But  while  we  speak  thus  of  law,  we  believe  pre¬ 
vention  is  the  only  real  cure  for  these  evils.  And  pre¬ 
vention  must  begin  in  ourselves  and  in  the  training  of 
our  children.  One  of  our  commissioners  thus  writes: 

u  I  believe  the  time  will  come  when  men  will  ab¬ 
solutely  hate  the  prudery  and  mock  modesty  of  the 
present  day,  which  says  to  the  boy  and  girl:  4  You  may 
learn  every  other  lesson  you  like  but  the  law  of  your 
own  being.’  The  first  and  most  important  lesson  of 
life  is  left  for  the  boy  to  learn  on  the  streets  and  from 
vile  companions,  and  the  girl  must  secretly,  and  often¬ 
times  dangerously,  get  the  knowledge  as  she  can. 
What  a  national  imbecility,  what  suicidal  folly  ! 

44  Oh,  but  Pm  afraid  my  son  will  lose  his  purity  and 
modesty  if  he  learns  these  things.” 

You  poor  blind  simpleton,  would  to  God  I  could 
arouse  your  reason  and  show  you  the  ruinous  folly  of 
your  position ! 

Are  you  so  foolish  as  to  think  that  your  son  and 
daughter  will  be  kept  in  ignorance  of  this,  the  most  im¬ 
portant  of  the  laws  of  nature,  with  so  many  things  to 
teach  it  to  them?  The  literature  of  the  present  day  is 
full  of  sex  suggestions,  the  Bible  from  lid  to  lid, — from 
the  first  page  where  44  Be  fruitful  and  multiply,”  speaks 
the  command  of  procreation, — to  the  last  page,  where 


210 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


the  adulterer  and  fornicator  are  judged — telling  of  the 
law  of  sex;  the  newspapers,  with  their  horrible  tales  of 
seduction,  lust  and  divorce;  the  stage,  with  its  reci¬ 
tals  of  unlawful  love;  the  canvas,  with  its  glowing  re¬ 
production  of  sex  ideas;  the  study  of  botany,  showing 
the  why  and  wherefore  of  anther,  pollen  and  ovaries  ; 
the  study  of  physiology,  suggesting  at  least  the  analogy 
between  the  plant  and  the  animal  ; — all  these  and  a 
thousand  other  voices,  natural  and  artificial,  call  upon 
him  and  her  to  learn  the  law  of  need  of  sex;  and  you, 
putting  up  a  thin  gauze  of  modesty,  lest  your  son  and 
daughter  should  see  and  know! 

I  would  be  harsh  and  stern  with  you,  did  I  not 
know  the  result  of  early  training!  I  would  denounce 
your  folly  and  show  you  how  much  worse  than  folly  it 
is,  did  I  not  utterly  pity  you! 

Are  you,  mother,  any  the  less  pure  now  than  in 
your  maiden  days,  because  you  know  the  law  of  sex, 
and  in  your  own  bosom  have  carried  the  existence  that 
now  so  delights  and  gladdens  your  heart  and  eyes? 

And  do  you  think  you  are  any  the  less  competent 
to  teach  your  daughter  the  glorious  and  holy  lessons 
and  duties  of  sex  than  her  sometimes  frivolous  compa¬ 
nions? 

Many  a  physician  could  tell  you  of  heavy  hearts 
amongst  good  girls,  who,  under  the  first  impulses  and 
strivings  of  the  sex  life,  succumbed  to  a  temptation 
which  they  did  not  understand,  and  not  fully  under¬ 
standing,  were  powerless  to  resist.  And  many  a  pros¬ 
titute  in  this,  as  well  as  other  cities,  owes  her  degraded 
life  mainly  to  the  mistaken  kindness  of  her  parent,  who, 
by  keeping  her  in  ignorance,  rendered  her  an  easy  prey 
to  the  designing  and  vicious.  The  world  is  cursed  by 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


2 1 1 


ignorance;  only  in  the  full  light  of  knowledge  can  the 
curse  be  removed. 

We  have  carefully  looked  over  the  books  provided 
for  this  purpose,  and  fail  to  find  one  that  fully  and  com¬ 
pletely  satisfies  the  needs  of  the  case.  Children’s  ques¬ 
tionings  should  be  rightly  answered,  and  we  propose, 
when  we  have  time,  to  write  such  a  book  as  will  show 
parents  how  they  may,  in  the  most  natural,  and  there¬ 
fore  the  wisest  way,  communicate  this  knowledge  to 
their  children. 

There,  too,  should  be  the  most  positive  and  em¬ 
phatic  teaching  as  to  the  same  law  of  life  inhering  to 
each  sex.  A  woman  has  as  much  right  to  demand  a 
clean  lover  as  has  a  man.  Let  the  dual  standard  of 
chastity  be  swept  away. 

The  u  physical  necessity  ”  doctrine  is  a  foul  slander 
upon  manhood.  It  has  no  other  basis  than  in  man’s 
passion.  The  absorption  of  the  vital  fluid  into  the 
blood  for  the  building  up  of  nerve  and  muscular  struc¬ 
ture, — which  means  increased  brain  and  physical  power 
— altogether  does  away  with  the  idea  of  “  necessity.” 
Let  these  physiological  laws  be  thoroughly  understood 
by  women,  and  at  once  a  decided  change  for  the  better 
will  come. 

And  while  we  thus  speak  of  education  we  must 
not  forget  the  vast  numbers  who  are  now  imprisoned 
in  this  great  house  of  vice.  These  need  to  be  rescued. 
The  Rev.  W.  D.  Smock  has  organized  a  midnight  mis¬ 
sion  for  the  carrying  out  of  this  work,  but  the  helpers 
are  few.  Consecrated  men  and  women  are  needed 
who  will  go  out  during  the  hours  before  midnight  and 
urge  these  women  to  leave  their  abandoned  career  and 
begin  the  new  life  of  purity.  Then  a  number  of  homes 


212 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


should  be  in  operation  where  these  women  can  go  and 
be  taught  occupations  to  fit  them  to  earn  their  living, 
and  be  generally  assisted  until  they  are  competent  to 
care  for  themselves. 

Another  branch  of  this  work  is  the  founding  of  a 
home  (of  course  in  no  way  connected  with  the  other 
one  mentioned  above),  for  shop  and  office  girls,  who 
are  away  from  home,  whose  wages  are  so  small  that 
they  can  barely  subsist  on  them.  A  place  where  they 
can  have  their  own  separate  rooms,  where  in  a  large 
parlor,  or  a  series  of  them,  they  may  be  truly  at 
home,  with  all  that  the  word  implies.  Surely  there 
are  philanthropists  enough  in  this  great  city  to  see  that 
such  works  are  begun  and  carried  out.  We  shall  be 
glad  to  place  them  in  communication  with  those  who 
are  competent  and  willing  to  do  this  work,  but  who 
have  not  the  means.  There  are  several  such  places  in 
Chicago,  but  their  number  and  accommodations  are  ut¬ 
terly  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  this  large  class  of 
women  and  girls  ;  and  where  the  idea  somehow  prevails 
that  the  institutions  are  charitable.  This  is  not  the 
idea.  These  girls  will  pay  what  they  can,  but  the  name 
of  charity  should  not  appear  to  those  who  pay ;  and  they 
can  be  made  self-supporting,  even  if  the  rates  are  low. 
The  numbers  who  will  take  advantage  of  the  homes 
will  guarantee  their  success. 

Of  course  we  have  but  given  suggestive  remedies. 
There  is  no  attempt  made  to  formulate  a  great  plan 
that  reaches  the  world  by  its  gigantic  organization,  but 
a  reiui-n  to  the  old  principle  laid  down  by  Christ.  Any 
plan  which  delegates  the  personal,  loving  contact  to  a 
society,  will  fail,  no  matter  how  much  love  there  may 
be  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  are  conducting  the  society, 


SUGGESTIVE  REMEDIES. 


213 


Personal  duty  cannot  be  delegated,  and  in  its  discharge. 
— like  “  mercy  ”  it  is  twice  blessed.  “  It  blesses  him 
him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes,”  and  is  more  mighty 
and  potent  than  any  and  all  other  forces  in  the  universe. 

With  renewed  activity  in  all  lines  of  philanthropic 
work,  hearts  alive  to  the  needs  of  others,  ready  hands 
willing  to  help,  such  sympathy  and  love  as  Christ  man¬ 
ifested  for  our  brothers  and  sisters,  flowing  freely  in 
^every  direction,  our  city  would  receive  such  an  impetus 
towards  heaven  as  to  make  it  indeed  the  most  wonder¬ 
ful  and  beautiful  of  the  cities  of  earth. 


Since  Chicago’s  Dark  Places  has  been  put  into 
electrotype  plates,  we  find  a  matter,  which  is  of  vital  im¬ 
portance  to  the  people,  has  received  no  attention.  The 
following  article,  by  W.  H.  Morse,  M.D.,  physician  and 
chemist,  of  New  York  City,  which  appeared  in  the 
Chicago  Times,  of  June  16,  1891 — explains  the  subject: 

REVELATIONS  OF  DE  QUINCEY’S  LIFE. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  anticipated  the  publication  of 
any  work  with  keener  impatience  than  that  which  I  accorded 
to  H.  A.  Page’s  “Thomas  de  Quincey,  His  Life  and  Writings. ” 
It  was  fourteen  years  ago,  and  at  that  time  English  publica¬ 
tions  did  not  reach  this  country  quite  as  expeditiously  as  they 
do  now.  Consequently,  it  was  not  till  some  months  after  its 
announcement  by  John  Hogg  &  Co. ,  of  London,  that  a  copy 
reached  me.  It  was  read  with  care — proportionate  to  the  an¬ 
ticipation  of  issue — and  with  something  like  avidity.  But,  on 
the  whole,  it  was  disappointing.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  cared 
little  for  the  life  story  of  the  master  of  English  literature,  and, 
naturally,  Mr.  Page’s  work  could  not  gain  the  deserved  appre¬ 
ciation.  My  object  in  reading  was  to  know  more  of  the 
opium-eater — of  De  Quincey  as  a  sinner  of  many  omissions. 
Perhaps  I  expected  the  biographer  to  edit  the  “Confessions” 
with  copious  appendices,  and  because  that  he  did  otherwise 
the  disappointment  came.  At  the  least,  it  was  because  of  such 
lack  of  narration  that  I  failed  to  apprehend  the  coveted  fasci¬ 
nation. 


214 


Chicago’s  dark  places. 


The  “  Confessions”  had  fascinated  me  as  they  have  thou¬ 
sands  of  others,  and  the  great  desire  was  to  know  De  Quincey 
intimately  in  that  which  he  so  aptly  styled  ‘  ‘  that  episode,  or 
impassioned  parenthesis,  in  my  life.”  Failing  of  the  knowl¬ 
edge  the  book  failed  of  interest.  In  years  coming  later  that 
knowledge  was  gained  otherwise.  Because  that  Mr.  Page  had 
not  enlightened  me  I  took  interest  in  opium-eaters  in  general, 
and  in  studying  them  I  have  completed  the  biography  of  that 
most  subtle  of  literary  analysts.  To  do  this  is  no  extraordinary 
accomplishment,  for  have  we  not  all  seen  Miltons  in  blind, 
wayside  beggars,  Charles  Lambs  in  wandering,  witless  fellows, 
and  Napoleons  in  Boulangers  ?  Perhaps,  however,  a  parallel 
case  would  be  in  finding  out  the  “  real  ”  Byron  in  a  study  of 
the  roues  of  our  great  cities !  However  this  may  be,  the  "fact 
of  the  understanding  of  De  Quincey’s  life  through  the  media  of 
other  like -broken  lives  has  been  of  greatest  interest  and  profit. 

I  have  seen  the  man  in  the  habitues  who,  regardless  of 
the  ordinary  obligations  of  social  life,  stand  forth  to  demand 
pity  and  belie  contempt.  I  have  photographed  him  in  the  poor 
creature’s  capricious  and  erratic  ways.  I  have  known  the 
years  of  a  quarter  century  gone  in  the  human  beast,  lawless  of 
considerations  of  health  and  comfort.  As  are  these  men,  so 
was  De  Quincey.  In  them  I  see  endaemonistic  qualities,  the 
possibilities  of  abstraction,  the  disposition  to  a  genuine  more 
socratico  character.  The  depraved  being  who  “hits  the  pipe” 
or  surreptitiously  uses  the  hypodermic  syringe,  can  be  readily 
suspected  of  an  ability  to  write  a  ‘  ‘  Suspirio  de  Profundis.  ” 
The  abject  and  despicable  wretch,  scarcely  able  to  hold  a  pen 
in  his  trembling  fingers,  pleads  guilty  in  my  mind  to  graceful 
periodicalism. 

Moreover,  with  intensity  of  satisfaction  I  have  speculated 
on  the  possibilities  of  what  might  have  been  had  De  Quincey’s 
case  been  treated  by  modem  medicine.  Laryngectomy,  at 
the  time  invented,  could  have  saved  Washington’s  life ;  the  use 
of  quinine  would  have  cured  Queen  Elizabeth ;  an  instrument 
now  in  commonest  use  might  have  prolonged  the  usefulness  of 
William  Pitt.  “But  opium-eating  is  different,”  in  popular 
opinion.  Not  so,  however.  We  cure  opium-eaters  now;  we 
could  have  cured  that  man  of  the  highest  imaginative  intellect. 
The  parallel  of  my  study  stops  there  when  I  consider  this;  for 
the  man  who  is  the  victim  of  this  grave  disease  is  treated  suc¬ 
cessfully  in  our  day.  Ten  years,  spent  extravagantly,  was 
sufficient  to  change  the  complexion  of  a  matter  which  had 
rather  have  demanded  parsimony. 

Two  and  thirty  years  ago,  when  De  Quincey  died,  opium¬ 
eating  was  not  catalogued  as  a  disease.  To-day  it  has  a  place 
in  the  nosology.  When  it  took  that  place,  now  some  twenty 
years  ago,  it  was  rated  an  incurable  disease.  Writers  on  the 
“Impossible  in  Medicine”  named  it  with  cancer,  hydrophobia 
and  Bright’s  disease.  1  he  knife  for  cancer,  dietetic  measures 


215 


Chicago’s  dark  places. 


In  Bright’s  disease,  cod-liver  oil  in  consumption — all  11  might 
prolong  life.  ”  So  of  opium  eating.  Physicians  who  attempted 
cure  would  resort  to  one  of  three  ways  :  Stopping  the  use  of 
the  drug  gradually,  stopping  it  immediately,  or  changing  the 
form  of  administration.  These  methods  “might  do,”  and  in  a 
certain  percentage  of  cases  were  efficacious,  but  there  was 
nothing  rational  about  such  measures  of  treatment,  and  mere 
tentative  application  is  scarcely  creditable  to  a  learned  profes¬ 
sion.  On  all  sides  the  admission  has  been  made  that  to  break 
off  the  habit  by  such  conduct  is  exceedingly  difficult,  and  can 
only  be  effected  by  actual  external  restraint,  or  the  strongest 
effort  of  a  powerful  will,  especially  when  confirmation  of  the 
habit  is  fully  describable  as  a  disease.  Succeeding  in  a  few 
cases  and  failing  in  many,  such  treatment  has  never  redounded 
to  the  credit  of  the  medical  profession.  The  recognition 
of  this  fact  acted  as  an  advertisement  of  something 
better,  and  led  to  the  establishment  of  “retreats”  and 
“asylums”  and  “discovery”  of  “remedies.”  It  is  quite  un¬ 
necessary  to  dwell  upon  the  discrimination  between  the  success 
and  the  failure  of  these  methods.  Much  can  be  predicated  in 
the  favor  of  rest,  change  of  thought  and  living  and  the  better¬ 
ment  of  surroundings.  These  measures  do  good,  but  if  they 
contribute  to  the  cure  of  one  case  they  fail  in  nine.  Of  the 
“  remedies”  it  is  best  to  speak  with  reserve.  I  do  not  question 
that  hydrochlorate  of  morphia,  chloride  of  gold,  and  the  like, 
have  to  do  with  the  cure,  but  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  put 
much  confidence  in  a  rotten  and  rickety  bridge,  though  it  has 
been  crossed  in  safety  time  and  again. 

Such  treatment  comes  short  of  rational  medicine,  and,  un¬ 
derstanding  this,  physicians  have  sought  the  appropriate  pro¬ 
vision.  Dr.  J.  F.  Albers’  idea  of  astringent  vegetables  to  be 
used  in  the  patient’s  dietary  was  good  and  has  worked  well, 
the  tannin  of  the  vegetables  limiting  physiological  activity  by 
forming  tannate  of  morphia,  which  is  not  readily  soluble.  Dr. 
Roberts  Bartholow’s  advocacy  of  the  use  of  belladonna,  on  the 
principle  of  the  antagonism  maintained  between  it  and  opium, 
has  been  measured  by  success  ;  but  to  substitute  belladonna 
narcosis  for  opium  narcosis  is  hazardous  at  best.  Dr.  J.  M. 
DaCosta’s  “free  use  of  black  coffee”  has  undoubtedly  procured 
good  results  in  milder  cases.  Professor  Gubler’s  argument  for 
quinine,  on  the  strength  of  its  antagonizing  the  cerebral  effects 
of  opium,  is  well  founded,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  tartar 
emetic  (Dr.  A.  Erlenmeyer)  and  for  digitalis  (Dr.  O.  J.  B. 
Wolff).  Claude  Bernard  has  done  well  to  recommend  cocoa, 
and  Dr.  J.  By  water  Ward  to  approve  strychnia.  All  of  these 
are  “cures,”  but  a  better  one  than  any  other  is  that  of  Dr.  S.  B. 
Collins,  of  Chicago,  who  has  the  patient  renounce  the  drug, 
and  then  provides  against  the  craving  by  the  use  of  an  anti¬ 
dotal  remedy,  which  acts  as  a  true  antidote.  Nothing  can  be 
more  emphatically  confirmed  in  therapeutics  than  the  feasi- 


216 


Chicago’s  dark  places. 

bility  of  antidotal  or  antagonistic  treatment.  Opium  is  a 
poison,  and  a  poison  demands  an  antidote.  The  principle  is 
that  of  vaccination  for  smallpox,  of  quinine  for  intermittent 
fever,  of  salicin  for  rheumatism,  of  iron  for  anaemia. 

I  confess  that  I  do  not  like  to  think  upon  Thomas  de 
Quincey  as  having  been  diseased  by  opium  or  poisoned  by  its 
use.  But  what  else  was  it?  What  else  is  that  which  is  destroy¬ 
ing  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  our  day?  The  extent  of  the 
prevalence  of  the  opium  habit  is  as  enormous  and  dreadful  as 
it  is  alarming.  We  may  be  indifferent  to  the  fact  that  there 
are  5,000,000  or  6,000,000  habitues  in  Asia;  but — think  of  it! — 
100,000  Americans  eat  opium,  1,000,000  Americans  indulge  in 
opium-smoking,  a  legion  of  Americans  use  hypodermic  injec¬ 
tions  of  morphia  as  a  terrible  luxury.  And  the  habit  is  in¬ 
creasing.  There  are  hundreds  who  eat  an  ounce  a  week,  the 
average  being,  however,  much  less  (five  to  forty -five  grains  a 
day).  They  are  our  neighbors.  Yonder  is  the  man!  That  is 
the  woman !  There  is  the  child  of  the  accursed  parent !  As 
compared  with  alcoholic  drinks  in  engendering  crimes  and  in¬ 
sanity  opium  stands  all  too  well.  The  wealthy  use  it  and  the 
poor  are  its  slave.  The  schoolgirl,  the  shopboy,  the  mechanic, 
the  sewing- woman,  the  man  of  ease,  the  scholar,  the  wretch 
whom  the  gutter  spurns — are  all  under  the  dread  dominion. 
I  remark  the  habit  in  all  classes,  and  strenuously  deny  the  oft- 
heard  statement  that  the  habitues  are  chiefly  individuals  of 
weak  will  power,  low  down  in  the  walks  of  life,  who  would 
just  as  easily  become  the  victims  of  intoxicating  drinks.  There 
are  such,  but  there  are  men  of  De  Quincey ’s  type — clergymen, 
lawyers,  men  and  women  of  all  vocations — who  are  quite  as 
much  the  moral  imbeciles. 

Shall  we  cry  out  a  tirade  against  the  Chinese  as  factors  in 
the  crime?  Shame  on  us,  if  we  do !  The  opium  joint  becomes 
harmless  when  we  bring  other  factorships  to  light.  The  man¬ 
ufacture  and  sale  of  hypodermic  syringes  is  a  leading  industry 
among  surgical  instrument  makers,  but  although  every  physi¬ 
cian  has  his  syringe,  he  buys  but  one  out  of  every  four  that 
are  manufactured.  The  druggist  would  require  twice  as  long 
to  empty  his  opium  jar  if  his  only  customers  were  medical 
men.  The  opium  “fiend ”  is  to  be  met  on  every  street.  The 
evil  is  the  evil  of  a  death-life. 

WhaLcan  be  done?  The  law — pshaw!  “Moral  suasion.” 

Moral  suasion  to  death,  Cr.,  By - ,000  souls  lost. 

De  Quincey ’s  picture  has  been  placed  on  an  eloquent  page 
by  W.  R.  Findlay.  It  is  that  of  a  personified  intellect — perfect, 
persuasive,  cordial — engraved  in  fine  lines  on  one  side  of  the 
printed  page.  But  hold  it  to  the  light.  There  is  a  picture  on 
the  other  side.  It  shows  through  the  paper.  It  is  that  of  a 
haggard,  nervous,  depraved  creature.  Looking  on  it,  I  cannot 
but  begin  to  appreciate  the  fidelity  of  Mr.  Page’s  work. 


HEAR 

JOSEPH 

COOK, 

BOSTON. 

v 

“CLIFF  SEAT,  TICONpEROGA,  N.Y., 
“JUNE  29,  1891. 

“ADAM  CRAIG,  ESQ., 

“77  JACKSON  ST.,  CHICAGO. 

“DEAR  SIR: 

“YOUR  VOLUME,  ENTITLED,  ‘CHICAGO’S 
DARK  PLACES,1  IS  A  VALUABLE  CONTRI¬ 
BUTION  TO  CURRENT  REFORM.  I  CON- 
GRATULATE  YOU  ON  THE  TIMELINESS 
AND  COURAGE  OF  THE  BOOK,  AND  HOPE 
IT  WILL  HAVE  A  WIDE  CIRCULATION. 

“  RESPECTFULLY, 

“JOSEPH  COOK.” 


ENDORSED BV 

ANTHONY  COMSTOCK, 

Secretary  for  the  Xeiv  York  Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Vice. 

I  am  certainly  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  copy  of  your 
book,  “Chicago’s  Dark  Places.” 

After  nearly  twenty  years  of  experience  in  this  city  I 
appreciate  the  faithful  spirit  in  which  the  work  of  your  com¬ 
mission  has  been  performed,  and  I  also  appreciate  the  bravery 
and  heroism  which  was  required  to  seek  out  the  facts  in  order 
that  Parents,  Teachers  and  Christian  Workers  might  be  in¬ 
formed  of  the  odds  that  are  against  them.  It  is  a  faithful  pic¬ 
ture  so  far  as  I  have  read. 

In  glancing  over  the  book,  I  could  not  but  feel  that  I 
should  not  want  it  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  children.  I  un¬ 
derstand  that  it  is  not  so  intended. 

I  would  keep  it  very  closely  confined  to  the  circle  of  those 
for  whom  it  is  designed.  Certainly  every  pastor  in  your 
locality  ought  to  read  the  facts  which  you  have  gathered. 

Wishing  you  every  success  in  your  efforts  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  suffering  and  to  raise  the  fallen,  believe  me. 

Very  truly  yours,  Anthony  Comstock,  Secretary 

Rev.  S.  J.  McPHERSON,  D.D.,  Chicago . 

Rev.  WALTER  M.  BARROWS, 

Pastor  Second  Congregat ionttl  Church,  ho ckfotd,  111. 

FATHER  IGNATIUS ,  O.  S.  B.  British  Monk. 

Rev.  RICHARD  HARCOURT,  D.D.,  Baltimore. 
Rev.  WOODFORD  D.  SMOCK, 

Supet  i ntendent  Chicago  Midnight  3Iission. 

“  THE  UNION  SIGNAL,” 

Organ  of  Woman9*  Christian  Temperance  Vnion. 

MARY  ALLEN  WEST. 

Rev.  FLAVIUS  J.  B  ROB  ST, 

Pastor  Vnion  Temple,  Chicago 

"  THE  CHICAGO  HERALD.” 

Miss  NETTIE  HOUGHTON, 

resen  fati  re  Anchorage  31  ission  for  1  Vomen  and  Cl  iris. 

Mrs.  MARY  B  FLETCHER. 

Superintendent  Tftlcott  Home,  Chicago. 

Miss  CELIA  SMOCK, 

Superintendent  Anchorage  Mission,  Chicago . 

And  Many  Others 

\ 


IT  IS  MEET  THAT  WE  SHOULD  COMPAS¬ 
SIONATE  THE  WRETCHED  AND  RECEIVE 
THE  PENITENT.  IT  IS  MEET  THAT  WE 
SHOULD  FULFILL  TH£'  CLAIMS  OF  AFFEC¬ 
TION,  BE  IT  PARENTAL  OR  FRATERNAL; 

SHOULD  EXPRESS  OUR  JOY,  AND  LET  OUR 
FRIENDS  AND  NEIGHBORS  SHARE  IT.*’ 


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